lemitar

This weekend, we finally decided to go get our bushel of chiles to roast and freeze for the coming year. After consulting with a local friend, we decided on a place in the North Valley that sells Lemitar chiles. You might ask, “What are those?” While Hatch gets the fame and glory from the New Mexico chile, it is hardly the only place in New Mexico that grows chiles. Some might say it’s not even the best.

Lemitar is a tiny town about an hour south of here, and they are known for growing chiles that are often thicker (so great for making chiles rellenos) and sometimes more flavorful. We decided to give them a try to see if it was true.

We drove up to the produce stand and ordered a bushel (about 40 lbs) of their hot chiles roasted. The extra-hot was a bit much for us! There were stacks and stacks of burlap sacks filled with fresh, raw chiles and an amazing roaster setup. Sitting 20 feet away, I could feel the oils seeping into my pores on my face. Wow, did that sting!

We took them home and waited a few hours so the they would cool and be easier to peel. We decided not to peel the majority of our peppers, since some say that the peel helps to protect the chile in the freezer. I set aside about 3 pounds for use over the next few days, and then we took them out to the front porch. There, we spent about half an hour stuffing chiles into quart freezer bags, and then stacking the bags in a laundry basket. We ended up filling nearly 30 bags!

After letting them cool down even more, I loaded them into the freezer. The bags were stacked two high and three deep on the bottom shelf, plus another few on top. We may buy some more just to ensure that we will have enough to last until next August. I also want some red chiles to make a ristra (a hanging bunch of dried peppers that you see on nearly every house here).

It feels so comforting to do something that thousands (millions?) of people have done for years. So much of our food system has moved away from local, seasonal products, so it’s nice to take that back in some way. Looking the farmer in the eye and knowing who grows my food means more to me now. I feel lucky that I have access to such great stuff right at hand.