With the Hatch Chili Peppers on sale this week at Kroger, we decided to buy a box of them for canning. We called HEB in Abilene to see what the price was there and they were one penny per pound less here . . and it saved us a 200 mile round trip so I was happy to buy them locally. Sunday afternoon while we were making our weekly trip to Home Depot, we stopped by Kroger. I asked the guy in “fruits and vegetables” if they had a full box of the peppers and how much they weigh. Yes, they have a full box and they weigh 25 pounds. For some crazy reason, I blurted out “If you have 2 boxes, I’d like to get 50 pounds!”
What was I thinking? You can bet I won’t make that mistake again. I began roasting them on the grill . .
And realized I’d be out there all night at the rate I was going so I had Vince fire up a second grill for me.
Notice the water hose . . with the drought and dry grass weeds, I keep a water hose handy any time the grill is going.
So, I roasted peppers and I roasted peppers and I roasted peppers and I was pretty frustrated with myself for getting two boxes of peppers.
15 one gallon zipper bags full of roasted peppers. And, a bit of watermelon to help cool me down. Our garden made so many watermelons and they are so good! We have this routine. Vince cuts the melon and scoops it all out into zipper bags. We have the exact same conversation with each new watermelon:
Me: Is it good?
Vince: Not too good! (I know it is good because #1, he would say “It’s not sweet” or “It’s mushy” if it wasn’t good and #2, all of our melons have been so good.)
Me: Let me try it.
I try it and then I say: Tastes like pesticide. Hope I didn’t accidentally spray it with something harmful to humans!
We’re both trying to keep the other from eating the watermelon and it never works. The whole time we’re eating it, we’re saying things like . . I sure hope they taste better next year . . or . . maybe we should buy watermelons instead of trying to grow them. They’re so good! We’re so silly!
But . . back to the peppers. Even the watermelon couldn’t relieve me of my job of putting up 50 pounds of peppers.
Once they cooled down, I stuck them all in the fridge and then Monday morning, I started working on getting them seeded and peeled and canned. What a job!
20 pints, 14 half pints and 12 – 4 oz. jars. And see the zipper bag . . we went back to Kroger on Sunday afternoon because we had to make another trip to Home Depot and Dr. Peppers were on sale at Kroger too but there was a limit of 4 so we stopped and got 4 more and Vince said “Do you want to get a few more peppers?” Are you kidding me? Nope, he was serious! We bought maybe 5 more pounds just to have to eat . . don’t even ask me why we couldn’t have eaten 5 pounds of the original 50 pounds and I would have had 45 pounds to can.
The main thing is . . .they’re done and I would like to think that’s enough to last us for two years but somehow, I’m thinking I’ll be canning peppers again next year at this time.
Deb says
Judy, I have never had Hatch chili peppers, are the only available in the south. I grew up in northern IL,but I never have heard of them. Sometimes I think I have my head in the sand.
Can you tells me what make them worth canning 50 lbs in two days. 🙂
Thanks!
Hilary McDaniel says
I am so envious. I just returned from 2 weeks w/my granddaughters in Dallas. We stop at Central Market to eat. I had Hatch Chile everything. So on my way home, I stop and by, 5 lbs. just roasted chiles, 5 lbs. hatch ground beef , 2 bags of hatch flour tortillas just made. We have to buy a new grill so I bought mine done. Next year I’ll do what you did. I love hatch chiles.
Dinah says
Where do you find the time to do all this!! Just like Hilary, I am envious!!
Dinah
Ranch Wife says
Yep! It’s green chile season here in NM. The boxes of green chile are piled high in every corner of town. NM green chile is amazing and we go through 2 bushels every year. We just stop in at the farm and let them roast them. Then I bring them home and let them cool off enough so I can handle them. We like ours HOT…no seeding here, but I am going to can some this year like you do. Looks like you’re all set, but you’re right – they won’t last as long as you think they will.
Sandy says
I’ve lived in the south just about all my life, but I’m with Deb in that I’ve never heard of Hatch chili peppers. Must be a Texas and southwest thing! How long do you think it will take for you and Vince to eat up all those peppers you’ve canned?
lynne quinsland says
joining the club for never hearing of a hatch chili. in the area of southern california that i live in we have ortega chilis on everything. they look like judy’s hatch chilis and are processed the same way and are totally amazing–in eggs, on hamburgers are my two favorite ways–but we sure do go thru a lot of them here too. i have never done the canning of them, just always roast them as needed from fresh.
i remember my son being in the air force in new mexico and him telling about the roasting and selling of the chilis when they were in season and how amazing they were and how crazy the people were over them.
Diane says
Can you give an idea of how you put them up? I have never canned chilis.
I wish I cooked more, but to be honest we travel so much there is never much in the house to cook. I’m tired of buying a bill of groceries just to give it away when an unexpected trip has to be made. Now that all of the kids are grown I travel with my husband when he goes on business trips.
The neighbors love it when I show up with loaves of bread and bags of potaoes and onions, but I’m really tired of doing it. 🙂
Terri says
I love this time of year in NM. You can smell the roasting chilis as your drive thru town. Every grocery store, including WalMart, has their roasters going. And…. you know fall is just around the corner now!
Susan says
You crack me up. Fortunately, the only peppers I mess with are the banana peppers I grow on the deck and just ONE plant, because they are massive producers! But it just goes in salsa, and I don’t run the risk of getting pepper juice on my hands and then accidentally rubbing my eyes mindlessly. The seeds are pretty mild, and it just stings a minute if I do. The last time I got roasted Hatch seed juice in my eye – oh, ow, ow, ow!
Your watermelon routine made me smile, too. Paul and I used to do things like that. It is silly, but it’s how good times and good memories are made!
Linda in NE says
OK, you are an official “wild woman.” LOL The only peppers I mess with are red bell peppers and I just wash, seed, cut in strips and freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet then bag them up so I can take out the amount I want to use.
Ida in Central PA says
When I visited Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico in 2007, we flew into Denver, and rented a car to drive down. On our return home, we were somewhere near the Great Sand Dunes at a WalMart (why? batteries for the camera, I think), during Hatch Season.
There were roasters in large tents outside of the WalMart. We asked a price (seemed reasonable to us). We thought we were getting half a box that you showed. Nope. Whole box. We asked to have them roasted (it was like $1-2 more). While the guys are watching the roasting, I ran inside and purchased a new duffel bag, gallon-sized zipbags and large tuppers to fit into the new duffel.
When I exited the store, is when I realized how many peppers we purchased. Undaunted, I put peppers into baggies, squished out air, put baggies into tuppers, and tuppers into the duffel. Hmmmmmmm …. still half the box left. [At least I had a good estimate when I went INTO the store! 🙂 ]
Since we had only ONE extra bag that we could check, and we were already at our carry-on limit, we asked several people if they’d like the remaining peppers. Most looked at us as if we were crazy. I think it was the 6th or 7th person we asked who finally took us up on our offer. BUT … they couldn’t just take the peppers. They **had** to pay.
I think the whole box, roasted, cost us about $20. They wanted to split the cost w/ us, but only had a $5 bill in their wallet before going into the store. Fine! Perfect! Great! Here’s your peppers! I have to get back on the road to catch that flight in Denver! 🙂
BTW, I think that the duffel STILL smells like peppers. Even tho I did my best to remove air, from baggies, and tuppers, they some still “popped” open during the flight — the duffel was checked baggage. I can only imagine what the baggage handlers thought of the slightly damp, spicy smelling duffel. 😉
Ida
Sara in AL says
Judy, what recipe do you use to put up the peppers? What liquid did you use? I have heard about the green chillies of NM, but never been lucky enough to get them. I guess they don’t make it this far east. The Texans must grab all of them.LOL
Sally says
Judy,
this weekend is the Hatch Chili Festival (and Las Cruces has a wine festival too)–can’t wait. I look forward to hatch chilies all year. I mostly buy the hot ones since I grow my oown Anaheims (and jalapenos, serranos, habaneros, bells, you name it!) I grew up in NM so Hatch are the best!!