Can it get any hotter? Yes, Greeley, it can. And it will. It’s Hatch chile season!

The celebrated Hatch chiles from New Mexico have arrived! Find them at grocery stores and farmers markets across Colorado. Photo by Emily Kemme.

By Emily Kemme

 Just when you thought August’s temperatures couldn’t get any hotter, or the skies any smokier, or when you were convinced that your dog’s incessant panting was a sure sign of heat stroke — that’s when Hatch, New Mexico’s celebrated green chiles, appear at grocery stores and farmers markets across Colorado.

The irony of hot chiles and stifling summertime heat is never lost on me. But science tells us that foods like chile peppers which cause you to sweat after eating them are the perfect antidote to the thermometer’s rise. In fact, it’s one reason why people living in cultures who eat a lot of chiles are able to withstand higher temps. Spicy food is a natural way to cool off.

But the reality is that the Anaheim chile pepper is more meat than heat.

According to Chili Pepper Madness, the Anaheim pepper ranges from 500 - 2,500 Scoville Heat Units on the Scoville Scale, which was named for pharmaceutical scientist Wilbur Scoville. Over 100 years ago, he developed a taste test combining individual ground chili pepper varieties mixed with sugar and water. The testers’ level of tongue-burning determined the rating, which is divided into multiples of 100. Basically, it works out that, “1 part per 1,000,000 dilutions of water is rated at 1.5 Scoville Units,” according to the website. Capsaicin, the chemical naturally occurring in a pepper, is what’s being measured. Pure capsaicin ranges between 15-16,000,000 SHU.

If you put it into perspective, the Anaheim — also called a Hatch chile or New Mexico chile because of its provenance from Hatch, New Mexico — has a pretty wimpy heat profile.

Hatch chiles are enjoyed year-round in salsas, and can be roasted, then chopped and frozen, but when it’s harvest time, there’s burning excitement. The new chiles are here! Harvest time is variable, running from early August through September; with warm weather the harvest may extend into late October. As Hatch chiles mature, the deep green hue changes into bright red.

If you want to know how eye-watering a chile is before biting into it, one clue is what the veins look like. White veining (the part securing the seeds) is a less spicy pepper; the more yellow or orange the veins are, the spicier the fruit.

Chiles, which are members of the nightshade family, are fruits, just like tomatoes. I like to think of them as tomatoes with attitude.

I picked up a handful of Hatch chiles at King Soopers last week. With their mild flavor, once diced they’re perfect for throwing into soups, potato salad, mixing into pasta sauce, topping burgers and stirring into scrambled eggs. And making salsa, of course.

 Since I was in a chile sort of mood, I scouted the store for other items to mix and match to create a chile-centric meal.

Young Guns Chile

Young Guns Hatch Valley Green Chile is a mixture of roasted chiles, garlic salt and lime. It’s perfect for topping eggs, slathering on chicken before and after grilling, and even stirred into a lemonade-vodka (or tequila) cocktail. Photo Emily Kemme.

This Hatch Valley chile company goes back over 80 years, dating to when Joseph and Celestina Franzoy immigrated from Austria to New Mexico. Who knew that the land of waltzes, schnitzel, and Sachertorte could produce a bunch of chile farmers? That family — now in its 6th generation — includes Chris Franzoy, who continues the legacy with Young Guns and Hatch Chile Factory.

I snagged a 36-ounce jug of hot, Flame Roasted Hatch Green Chile, temptingly perched above overflowing crates of plump chiles, knowing this sauce had one destination: toppings for eggs. To my mind, eggs serve only one purpose — salsa delivery devices.

As it turns out, although the jugs are shelf stable for up to a year, once opened the company recommends the mixture of roasted chiles, garlic salt and lime be consumed in one week. That meant I had to bring out the big guns and put this on just about anything I could think of. Fresh and zingy with a mild roasted flavor, try Young Guns chile rubbed onto chicken before grilling, spooned into potato salad for a zippy punch, stirred into a lemonade cocktail with vodka, tequila or white rum, or cook up a batch of chicken corn chowder. How about a chile cheesecake — it’s creamy, cheesy and has a hint of pepper to cut the sweetness. To make a chile less hot, remove the vein before dicing.                    

Tajin seasoning is a blend of mild chilis, lime and sea salt. Adding zing to all sorts of dishes, sprinkle it on fruit, eggs, vegetables, guacamole, and stir into soups and sauces. It’s not spicy, just zippy. Photo by Emily Kemme.

 Things to try

Tajin seasoning

Have you ever noticed the salted rim around a margarita glass? There’s a reason for it. Saltiness is one of the five tastes, which also includes sweet, sour, bitter and umami. Because these tastes interact with each other to create a consummate taste whole, adding salt can offset bitterness and enhance the other tastes.

Tajin is a blend of mild chilis, lime and sea salt. If you’ve figured out that it’s zingy, good for you! Sprinkle it on fruit, eggs, vegetables — including mixing into guacamole. It also adds a boost of lime and salt to soups and sauces. Be careful — if used too heavily, it can overwhelm a dish. Sprinkle, don’t douse — a difficult thing because the holes in the lid are large. Gluten-free, it’s also available in a low-sodium version. Find it in the fresh produce section, or with Hispanic seasonings. The only confusing thing about it is that the powder is red. Red equals hot, right? Except it doesn’t here.