HATCH CHILE ROASTING 2009 Please add dates

[DWB]

My LAT arrived with the wrong weekly market advertisments for my address, but lucky me the Albertson's ad had the Hatch chile roasting schedule for selected stores this season. Last year some were able to attend events at Bristol Farms, with the benefit of being able to buy roasted chiles in smaller quantities than a 30 lb. sack. Last year the roasting that I attended began at 8 am, I arrived near that time and was probably 80 to 100 in line. People in front of line arrived before 6 am! We left with our bounty after 11 am. Standard disclaimers, as a fresh agricultural product, the chiles are subject to climactic conditions. Call stores to confirm date. Take a large ice chest or tub to transport chiles home to protect auto interior, freshly roasted chiles exude much liquid. Stock up on 1 gallon freezer bags to porportion freshly roasted chiles for freezing(and sharing).

Albertson's New Mexico Hatch Chili 30 lb. sack, $28.99. Free Roasting 8am. to 2 pm.

Aug. 15-16, 8850 Foothill Blvd., Rancho Cucamonga, 91730 [phone]

Aug. 22-23, 1800 W. Whittier Blvd., La Habra, 90631 [phone]

Aug. 29-30, 2469 Via Campo St., Montebello, 90640 [phone]

Aug. 29-30, 19307 Saticoy St., Reseda, 91335 [phone]

[DiveFan]

Update - the El Rey Farms contacts aren't answering their phones this week and the answering machine is 'out of memory' with no status message. Not a good sign.

[DiveFan]

If you are tempted by the online flyer for 'chile roasting' at the Saturday Santa Monica Pico/Cloverfield CFM (all September weekends), be advised that they are NOT roasting Hatch chiles.

I arrived there at noon and the chile roaster had sold out and left; the manager said they were roasting poblanos, anaheims and chile de agua. The flyer says '$2.50/lb', for which type it doesn't say.

[mikester]

This past Saturday I stopped in at the Whole Foods at The District (off of Jamboree in Irvine/Tustin) and they were selling fresh Hatch green chiles (hots) by the pound. They also had a sign that there would be a roasting that day (8/29) in the afternoon.

[DiveFan]

Finally got to the BF Manhattan Beach event; the Melissa's Produce people were there and could answer questions credibly. They were distributing recipes and a DVD with cooking demos.
Free samples abounded - the hot (IIRC Sandia) were definitely spicy (but not overly so), meatier than the usual Anaheims and the 'mild' even had a little bite. Most of the locals seemed surprised or even turned off by the spiciness, more empirical evidence that chilehead chowhounds are a minority in yuppieland.
BTW the 'hot' chiles are near the front entrance while the mild ones are in small packages in the produce dept, both $1.99/lb.

[torchsong]

I made it to the MB event way early. Got to see the fire alarms and sprinklers set off by the Roasters and the Fire Department turning up. I got my chilies (the hot ones, happily hotter than I was expecting, yeah!!!) but since they were still dealing with the aftermath of the unexpected shower I missed Melissa's and the demo's, too bad!

[kaykid]

Bristol Farms in Valencia is roasting this weekend. The Albertsons in Reseda is closer to me, though. When I called there the produce fellow said they have no idea about the heat level until they open the boxes. Is there anywhere besides El Rey Farms that offers a choice in that? Or does it matter?

[scurvy]

I just bought a box at BF in Valencia. They have hot and mild split out. The hot were hotter than I thought they would be! They very kindly agreed to give me a half case of each and labeled each. The process took about 20 minutes and now I have more chilies than I know what to do with...not that that is a bad thing!

[Snoopy]

Does anyone know if there are any roastings on the Westside this weekend? I'd love to try these!

[Rizza]

At Bristol Farms in Redondo Beach they have barrels of fresh ones. They also have some pre-roasted ones available in the refrigerated section. I've never purchased them before, but bought the fresh and plan to roast them myself as abseygale did. Is there an advantage to having them roasted for you? Do they use special wood? And how do I know if I'm getting hot or mild with the fresh ones? Or is it just a function of removing the seeds and ribs? I'm heading straight to Home Cooking for some recipes.

[mikester]

To answer your question about roasting, it's a convenience (esp. if you're getting many many pounds of them) to have them roasted for you. The roasters used are large drum roasters using propane gas, so there's no advantage of wood smoke, etc. As for the hot versus mild, there is a difference in the actual chiles - they use different varieties for mild, med, hot etc. I've heard that the hotter varieties tend to be thinner skinned and thus not as meaty as the mild and mediums, but I just thawed some hots from last year and these seemed nearly as meaty as what I recall the mediums being.

[Rizza]

Thank you!

[wasabica]

OMG the Hatch Chili Burger at Bouzy (Chez Melange) in Redondo Beach was so good the other night. Get that, truffle fries, and beer on tap.

[abseygale]

I bought a pound of the Hatch Chilis for less than $2 at Bristol Farms and roasted them at home. They were delicious on french bread with mayo!

[SouthernFoodie08]

I went to the Bristol Farms on Beverly Blvd. and aside from the paparazzi hanging around outside trying to catch a glimpse of Gwen Stefani, I had a great experience. The people from Melissa gave me pamphlets, a cd, and cards with recipes to use hatch chiles. They had sample food too (yummy hatch chile potato salad). But, what I appreciated most was the gentleman who walked me through the process of picking chiles and how to roast them so I would not have to pay $6.99 per lb for only 2-3 lbs of chiles.

[soniabegonia]

went to Bristol Farms in Long Beach yesterday and paid $35 for a 23 lb box of hots. No waiting. The whole thing, start to finish, took about 15 minutes. It was worth the extra $$ for ease and no wait. Ended up with about 16 lbs of roasted chiles and they take up less than 2 sq ft of freezer space. Already made chile rellenos, potato salad w/ hatch chiles, crazy #@$%ing hot salsa verde... the possiblities are endless.

[DiveFan]

BTW I presume that's 2 Cubic ft. Sq ft would imply some pretty flat chiles :-).

Did they have a choice of varieties by name or just heat level?

EDIT: per the web site the lower qty price is $1.99/lb, preroasted and packaged $6.99/lb (yikes).

[soniabegonia]

Yes, duh! cubic feet! haha.

They only had mild and hot. And yup, $6.99 is quite steep - really worth it to buy a box and take advantage of the free roasting (and kind of fun to watch). Unless you really just want a small quantity.

[torchsong]

Does anyone know if they have the hot chilies at the Albertsons roastings? I was planning on going to the one in Reseda (that being nearest to my home) but if I could get the hot ones at Bristol farms it might be worth the drive to Manhattan Beach or Valencia. I would order the ones from El Rey farms but La Puente High School is a bit further than I'd like to go for pick up. Thanks!

[Aviator_Guy]

My first experience with fresh roasted Hatch Green Chiles was about three years ago in Casa Grande Arizona. Trust me, if you have never tried them before, it’s worth every penny. My wife and I are into canning a lot more than freezing them, but they both work well. We also plan to attend the annual 2009 Hatch Valley Chili Festival (Sep 5-6) I will take some photos of the event in Hatch, New Mexico and post pictures when we get back,
http://www.hatchchilefest.com/2009_fe...

[mikester]

Could you please explain your method for canning them ? I'm very short on freezer space so this may be my best option, thanks in advance !

[trojans]

mikester, the 30lbs once they are roasted really don't take up as much freezer space as you think.

[Dogbite Williams]

Any restaurant suggestions for those of us who don't cook?

[cdmedici]

For all of you non-cooks and those that just love Hatch Chili's especially on a burger I have great news. I just found out that the newly opened 25 Degrees restaurant that just opened in Huntington Beach has Hatch Green Chilis.

I am so excited to try because I love green chili cheeseburgers and I love the 25 Degrees burger. Now I am doubly excited since Hatch Green Chilis are supposed to be the best.

I also happen to know that the owner of 25 Degrees is Tim Goodell and he is originally from New Mexico, so these will be the real deal. My mouth is already watering.

I have been meaning to run down there since they opened and now I can't wait. I think I will zip over there tomorrow for a fat, juicy spicy burger.

[emily]

Now that I'm living in the Bay Area, I find out about this?! Sigh.

[DiveFan]

Try complaining to the manager of your local Albertsons. I do this every year, maybe next year they will come through :-(. They may not be able to do anything for this year because the store commits to purchase a truck load of chiles a year in advance (based on previous demand). Sounds like catch-22 to me.

I wish that their corporate HQ would see the big picture - constantly increasing demand from chileheads, immigrants and other demographics equals *complete sell out* year after year after year. Further, the California Department of Food and Agriculture reports that chile pepper production in state is Increasing.
<-Insert appropriate Dilbert comic strip here->

[Fesdwino]

El Rey Farms has a great selection from mild to XX HOT. Dried pods and chile powder as well. A little more expensive than Albertsons but less than Bristol farms. Buy them fresh or have yours roasted on site. Pick up is La Puente High School. Ordered my X-Hots (Barkers), Medium (Big Jims) and XX-Hots today. Below are delivery dates and their website. I froze a bag last year but only lasted until February.

1st LOAD Saturday, August 15, 2009
2nd LOAD Saturday, August 22, 2009
3rd LOAD Saturday, August 29, 2009
4th LOAD Saturday, September 12, 2009
5th LOAD Saturday, September 19, 2009

www.elreyfarms.com/contactus.html

Enjoy!

ps - You can buy by the lb as well. No need to get a whole sack.

**5th Load Depends on Mother Nature

[meltedcheese]

The El Rey ones at La Puente High School. Do they roast them there? Always?

[dimsum2nite]

After reading everyone's post. I've got to give them a try, 30lbs though does seem a lot. Anyone know where I can get a smaller batch? Do they sell these raw?

[Phurstluv]

The article said Bristol Farms sells them in smaller quantities. Anyone kn ow if the BF in Westwood is doing it as well?

[mikester]

You can always split a bushel (30 or so pounds) with a friend. But trust me, you'll get greedy and wish you had more !

Broken down into heavy-duty freezer bags (after being roasted and cooled down a bit), it's still a lot of chiles but not as much as you might think.

[artfxca]

OMG! We're from New Mexico and had to beg Whole Foods to order frozen "Bueno"; but, they could only get little containers of "Mild".
Hatch is the best and roasted is the only way to go!
We're in the Bay Area and will definitely make a trip to get some!
You Southern Californians don't know how lucky you are!

[Hershey Bomar]

FYI Alberton's in LA always carries a full line of frozen Bueno products. I love the frozen chopped Autumn Roast Hot NM peppers.

[RamFan]

Do you peel them before freezing

[chez cherie]

i do not. skins slide off with ease after freezing.

[JEN10]

Will there be any roastings in the South Bay?

[DiveFan]

Aside from the limited one at BF Manhattan Beach, probably not.
I've written Albertsons for the third year running and will advise if they will have a closer location.
BTW the chiles left at the event end (when I arrived) were allegedly the Sandia variety, but they were very mild and IMO not any better than the usual 'Anaheims'.
Picture here: http://www.g6csy.net/chile/var-s.html

[JEN10]

Thanks you Dive Fan, I will give them a call for dates.

[BearCity]

I had never heard of this before today. Wikipedia led me to the annual fesitval in Hatch, NM, and claims of "world's best chile." Can anybody explain what makes these Hatch Chiles so special? And what you do with 30 pounds of them?

[chez cherie]

i'll give it a try. the hatch chiles are meaty and very flavorful--a more nuanced flavor than other roasted chiles, i think. (they are kinda like san marzano tomatoes, in that the conditions and growing expertise in hatch make a perfect climate for growing these chiles. like the volcanic soil in san marzano, paired with that specific varietal of tomato make those legendary. you can grow a san marzano type tomato elsewhere, but it won't taste the same. just like these chiles.)
when i got my 30 lb. last year, i froze them in dozens. (i think i ended up with 14 glorious zip-locks full!) i've been portioning them out through the year, for chile verde, burgers, soups, casseroles (hatch chile mac n cheese is not to be missed) and more. i'm ready for my next batch in a few weeks. btw, the smell of your car on the way home from the roasting is an amazing thing!

[BearCity]

Interesting. Thanks!

[Davebr]

Ditto!! Thanks Cherie, Im there and Im shipping to friends.

[mrsantora]

Completely missed out on this last year. Really want to go this year and get some. Anyone know of somewhere in the SFV doing this Burbank/Studio City area?

[aklectic]

Great news! Does anyone have this info (or a place I can get it) for OC locations?

[DWB]

Dates for Bristol Farms chile roasting are as follows:

Locations

Long Beach and Beverly West - 8/22/09 & 8/23/09

Manhattan Beach and Valencia – 8/29/09 & 8/30/09

South Pasadena & Newport Beach – 9/5/09 & 9/6/09

Details on times and varieties will be on BF website as dates approach.

[cakewhole]

FYI, it looks like the Manhattan Beach location will have their roasting on 8/28 and 8/29 (not on 8/30).

[orange4cat]

Do we have any more current dates for truck deliveries?? DEC. JAN??

[Mattapoisett in LA]

I would presume not since the season is only August -September

[chez cherie]

i think your best bet right now would be the canned ones at trader joe's or frozen ones (which i have seen at albertsons and,i think, whole foods--i think the brand is bueno, or something like that.) good luck!

[estone888]

Bueno are very good. Albertsons does have them - not all of the branches though. (I've seen them in Los Feliz and down on Crenshaw, but not in Glendale.) My sister used to live in New Mexico and is extremely picky about her chilies. She happily uses Bueno when she can find them - she now lives in Chicago. I'm particularly fond of their "Autumn Roast." The frozen, IMHO, are far superior to the canned. Chilies freeze pretty well.