It’s hard for me to pick a favorite time of year because there is something I love about all of them. At this time I start thinking about green chiles and football. Yes, football is a big deal around my house, and fantasy football season is nearly upon us. Plus, Hard Knocks is on HBO and pre-season is well underway. Go Broncos! Go Bo!
However, it’s also the season for harvest, and I love harvest. The saying goes, “Go west young man” but for harvest in Colorado, go south to Pueblo! Happily, this year’s going to be extra spicy. And you don’t have to take my word for it. The article “Pueblo chile growers expecting scorching hot chile Fall harvest” in LaVoz Colorado says it all.
For those novices among you, which was me before I met Ryan, a green chile is the most amazing pepper on the plant, in my illustrious opinion. Roasted, they are the best-tasting food on the planet. A green chile can refer to a pepper, a sauce, or a stew. It can either smother a burrito or be served in a bowl like soup with a side of tortillas. Also, I could devote an entire paragraph to chili versus chile, but let’s just say that Colorado and New Mexico agree that it’s chile with an e, no controversy there.
I like Pueblo because they put green chiles on everything, and I mean everything. And if you’ve never experienced harvest season in Pueblo, Colorado, you’re missing out on something special. Farm stands on the Mesa in Pueblo have been around long before farm-to-table was trendy. This entire area is steeped in Colorado history that can be tasted in the food.
Pueblo isn’t a destination for those seeking modern restaurants with cutting-edge cuisine. This is the town you go to for the best green chile in the world and Italian food cooked by Italian families who’ve been in the area for generations (same for Czechs and Solvankians). Of course, Hispanic food reigns supreme. I know Pueblo + “best green chile in the world” are fighting words when it comes to New Mexicans who think their green chiles are superior.
Being from the Pacific Northwest, I’m not extremely discriminatory when it comes to green chile. First, I must tell you a story. My husband, Ryan, who was born in New Mexico, thanks to his dad being on an Air Force base, turned me on to green chiles when we met. We were living in Washington State in the late 1990s. Green chiles were unheard of in the region at the time. Ryan’s mom would send him cans of Hatch green chiles since he couldn’t get them at the grocery store, and I wondered where the heck this amazing food had been my entire life!?! By the way, Ryan’s family moved to Colorado when he was 8-years-old.
Therefore, I do not want to be in a fight between Colorado and New Mexico over which state grows the best green chiles (unless I get to be a taste tester, then I’m in). While the hottest green chiles I’ve bought were from New Mexico, I prefer cooking with Pueblo green chiles. They seem meatier.
Here’s my favorite article written on the subject, “Why Colorado & New Mexico Are Fighting a Hot War Over Green Chile.”
Quite frankly, I think the winner in this “war over green chiles” is me, the eater. And you. Why don’t you book a weekend to Pubelo and then book a long weekend in New Mexico this late summer and early fall and judge for yourself?
I can think of no better way to decide than to spend time eating the stuff. And, buying some. I like to buy a bushel of roasted green chile every time I am in Pueblo around harvest season.
By the way, what I find so fascinating and delicious about Pueblo is that Italian food and green chiles have partnered in a beautiful and scrumptious way. Take the sausage and green chile sandwich at Musso’s Restaurant. It’s also not unusual to see green chile on the menu at an Italian restaurant. This makes me happy. There’s no better way for cultures to come together than over food, and that has happened in Pueblo.
For a sightly overwhelming chile experience, the Chile & Frijoles Festival is September 20-22, 2024. Downtown Pueblo comes alive with throngs of people pushing through air saturated with the smell of roasting chiles. It’s a site to behold, and not for the faint of heart because there are a lot of people. You can taste many, many things, and even buy green chiles, and other kinds of chiles too.
Chile & Frijoles Festival is a southern Colorado experience, but let me tell you a little secret. Many folks go to the festival but never visit the farms on Pueblo’s Mesa. This is where the real food action is located! I love exploring these farms and buying lots of produce, not just green chiles. I wrote about here it in 2019.
So, yes, I encourage you to head to Pueblo this harvest season to see what the chile fuss is all about. While there, you should check out the bakeries, and thank me later. Oh, and stop by Gagliano’s, and Walter’s Brewery. Now I am hungry. And thirsty. If you like to eat, you should probably spend a week in Pueblo.
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So that big bag your carrying is chilies and nothing else? They are already roasted? You must freeze them?
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Yes, that’s one bushel of roasted chiles. I then divide them, 12 to a freezer safe bag, and freeze them for the year. This way, I have fresh chiles all year. It’s historically been a much more affordable way of getting green chiles (as opposed to have to buy a bag at a time). With inflation, who knows now. I’m sure it will still be a more cost effective way.