Heatwave threatens New Mexico green chile crop. Local stores keep roasting iconic pepper.
A perilous heatwave struck New Mexico this summer and could imperil its iconic green chile harvest.
Traditionally, green chiles are harvested by the ton throughout southern New Mexico, concentrated in Hatch Valley to the southwest.
But this year, with temperatures soaring well into the triple digits during the day and staying above the 80-degree mark at night, owner of the Hatch Chile Store Preston Mitchell said the season already saw almost-unheard-of harvest interruptions.
More: Are pecans driving New Mexico's drought? Heat, lack of rain predicted in coming weeks
On Wednesday, he said his operation, like many in the valley, was just starting to produce the pepper again after an estimated five-day pause.
That’s because a cold spring slowed the development of the planted, or “seed-zone,” chiles, meaning they weren’t ready when the transplant crop was used up.
Even worse, Mitchell said, the high heat stressed the plant, forcing it to expend more energy to pull water from the soil and moisture from the air.
More: Intense summer heat prompts New Mexico lawmakers, utility companies to take action
That leaves little energy for the chile plant to produce the treasured fruit and many that did develop suffered from tip burn when insufficient nutrients were gathered.
“It’s been a really rough start to the harvest,” Mitchell said. “The heatwave really damaged a lot of the crop. There’s been a lot of tip burn.”
He said this meant fewer chiles could be produced and sent to customers across the state and the world, since the Hatch variety is known globally.
More: Congress votes to cut protections for lesser prairie chicken nearly extinct in New Mexico
“We’re in a situation where we’re gapping between the transplant and seed-zone chile,” Mitchell said. “Supplies are really tight. I normally expect three loads a day from our fresh market packaging, but we’ve been getting one or one and a half at the most, then days without. That’s not good.”
That means grocers could soon see shortages at the time of year when many stores cook the pepper to order, outside in the summer heat in rotating roasters, causing the cherished odor to waft among eager shoppers.
New Mexico’s latest crop progress report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed about 25% of the green chile crop was harvested as of July 31.
More: Lincoln National Forest officials remain cautious despite change in fire designation
About 22% of the crop was rated as “excellent” quality by the USDA, with 20% rated good, 24% rated fair and 34% rated poor.
Records show about 53,300 tons of the pepper were harvested throughout the season last year, an increase from 51,000 tons in 2021.
Mitchell said the crop this year could face a decline as many stores order chiles early in the season, to coincide with promotions.
More: Wright's marsh thistle native to southeast New Mexico gets federal protection after lawsuit
He said the best and most consistent peppers are picked at the end during the early fall.
“The best chile is always going to be coming off in September and October,” Mitchell said. “We’d really like to see more chile roastings later in the season. Demand is outpacing supply this year.”
Chile shortages in the Hatch Valley didn’t seem to discourage shoppers at Carlsbad grocery store La Tienda.
More: Livestock values decrease by $1.4M in Eddy County during 2022
The store sells and roasts the chile every day during the season as long as they arrive, said Produce Manager Joseph Quintero.
He said last year, the store sold about 2,000 sacks of the pepper, about 25 pounds each, and is looking to top that this year.
“This year, I think it’s going to be more. We’re a lot busier,” he said while standing at a roaster on Wednesday morning as the crowd gathered. "We’ve been a lot busier. They’re coming on weekdays.”
More: River snakes in New Mexico see habitat cuts, drawing lawsuit against federal government
Although not much of the chile crop is produced in southeast New Mexico, Quintero said the people of cities like Carlsbad, Roswell or Hobbs still embrace the pepper’s cultural significance and versatility in popular dishes throughout the year.
Many families buy in bulk, stocking up and freezing their peppers for use throughout the year during special occasions in cuisine like enchiladas, stews or chile relleno.
“It’s just a tradition here in New Mexico,” Quintero said. “Everyone eats green chile.”
He questioned the quality of the other green chile state, Colorado, which grows what is known as the Pueblo green chile in the southeast region of that state, near its border to northern New Mexico.
The Pueblo chiles are known for use in a “slopper,” a hamburger that is drenched in a sauce made with the pepper.
The two states and their purported superiority has developed a light-hearted rivalry over the years, with New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis trading barbs on Twitter.
“If Pueblo chile were any good, it would have been on national shelves before now. If Colorado wants to go chile to chile, no question that New Mexico can bring the heat — Hatch chile is, has always been and will always be the greatest in the world,” Lujan Grisham tweeted on July 10, 2019.
For Quintero, there’s no question who the winner would be.
“Colorado is trying to grow green chile. They have nothing on New Mexico,” he said. “As long as they keep producing the crop, we’ll keep getting it. It’s important. People have been doing it for years. Their parents and grandparents.
“If they don’t’ get their chile, they’ll be upset.”
Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Heatwave threatens New Mexico green chile. Local stores keep roasting.
