Hatch season is here! If you're lucky, you'll have fresh Hatch chiles pop up in your market over the coming weeks as harvest season is August-September.
But if your markets don't carry them then don't give up!
You've got some good online options if you still want to get your Hatch on this season.
The Hatch Chile Store
I ordered from The Hatch Chile Store last summer and was super happy with the ten pounds of Hatch goodness that showed up on my doorstep.
I was in the Northwest and a little concerned about shipping fresh chiles cross country, but they arrived in good shape.
They recommend two-day shipping to guarantee the chiles arrive without spoilage, but they also offer a cheaper shipping option if you're willing to take on some risk.
I chose the cheaper, three-day shipping and was plenty happy with the results. But please keep in mind this might depend on how far you are from the source and how reliable shipping is in your area.
When ordering you'll see choices like Big Jim or Sandia. These are variety names that are used to denote heat level -- but they're all Hatch chiles and they'll be quite similar in flavor. Here's their fresh chile order page.
I usually point people to the Big Jim variety if you're new to Hatch chiles -- Big Jims are considered medium heat and are a versatile starting point. Sandias are a bump up in heat.
Lujan Farms
Lujan Farms has competitive prices so I've been meaning to try them out. If anyone has ordered from them please let me know if you were happy with the chiles.
It looks like they also offer combos on their order page. So if you want to experiment with different heat levels you could get a combo of mild and hot Hatch chiles.
Keep in mind that when discussing heat of the Hatch varieties we're still towards the bottom of the Scoville table. For example, here's where the Big Jim and Sandia varieties land:
As chiles get bigger they tend to get milder. In the above table you'll see the medium Hatch chiles hanging around with the Poblanos, and the hotter varieties will creep up towards the Jalapenos. How Hot Are Hatch Chiles?
New Mexican Connection
It looks like The New Mexican Connection sources their chiles from Snake Ranch Farms in New Mexico.
They pick their chiles on Mondays and ship them out the next day.
Their prices may look higher but shipping is included in the price of the fresh chiles -- I contacted them about this and was told they use FedEx 2-3 day shipping on all their orders.
Okay, I think any of these sources will get you some real deal New Mexican Hatch Chiles, but again I've only ordered from The Hatch Chile Store so that is the only one I can currently vouch for.
And don't forget that you'll typically want to roast your Hatch chiles before using them! Roasting will enhance their flavor -- plus it makes your kitchen smell heavenly 🙂 To see some examples of this check out these recipes:
Buen Provecho.
Still hungry?!
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