Autumn in New Mexico

Because New Mexico is generally lacking in trees, we don't have the most noticeable sign of autumn here. Also, the days continue to be very sunny and quite warm until the Winter Solstice.

So without the turning leaves and the nippy days, how do we know it's autumn? If we don't have pumpkin spice, what do we have?

We have chile smoke. Because autumn is when the chile roasters appear.

Most people are aware that New Mexico is known for chiles. The chiles with the best PR are Hatch chiles. They are grown in a town called Hatch, in an irrigated agricultural area which is a very fun place to visit. These are the most widely distributed chiles. All grocery stores in New Mexico will have Hatch chiles in their produce departments in the fall. They can be purchased in big boxes. Many stores also have roasters outside, so you can bring your box of chiles out and have them roasted right away.

But there are other places in New Mexico that grow chiles. Lots of them. And they will bring their chiles to cities all over the state to sell.

That's why there was a pick-up truck with a trailer of chiles parked on the side of the road in the city I was in a couple of weeks ago. 

The trailer told me that these chiles came from Lemitar, which is a well-known chile-growing area in Socorro County.

There were both red and green chiles, and they were being sold by the small bag, the small bucket, a five-gallon bucket, and a box. There were medium, hot, and extra-hot. Knowing that even "mild" New Mexico chiles are way too hot for me, I bought a five-gallon bucket of the medium ones. It cost me twenty dollars.

They had roasters there, too, and all chiles were roasted for free.

The chiles go in those drums, which rotate while a propane flame is trained on them to char the chiles.

After a few minutes of charring with the flame, the chiles are dumped into a plastic bag. This is tied off and holds the steam, which is how the skins are loosened.

Driving home with this in my car made the interior of my car smell like smoke and chile for at least a week.

The skins come off pretty easily after the roasting and steaming.

Charred and ready for skinning.

And then they're ready for Chiles Rellenos.

After being slit open and seeded, that is.

The rest of my chiles went into the food processor to be pureed and frozen in ice cube trays, ready for use all year long in chili, stew, taco meat, tamales and whatever else I want to throw them in.

So tell me: How do you know it's autumn where you live?