It's Hatch month at Melissa's!

The life of the Hatch Chile begins in the fertile soil of the Mesilla Valley of Hatch, New Mexico. Known as the Chile Capital of the World, the intense sunlight and cool desert nights of this region give these chiles its unique, distinct flavor that’s unrivaled by any other chile, making them one of our most highly coveted seasonal items. For this, we have our talented farmers of Gillis Farms to thank.

For this year’s annual summer trip to Hatch, we had the pleasure of meeting with Duane Gillis. Duane is a 4th generation farmer whose expertise lies in the production of Hatch chiles, onions, squash and other vegetables. He started farming at a young age along with his siblings, Brenda and Dale under the supervision of his parents, Dencil and Mary Gillis. Today, their family has five generations living in the Hatch Valley and are proud to call it their home.

The passion that Duane Gillis has for growing Hatch chiles is evident and the special process he undertakes ensures the highest quality chiles every season. Harvest begins in late July and August and the weather determines the heat of the chiles each year. The drier the year, the hotter the chile and the better the flavor. The seeds of the chiles are actually dropped into the ground rather than procured in a greenhouse by creating seedlings. Duane utilizes a distinct technique called drip-irrigation to allow for precision watering.

“Most of the water is pumped with drip irrigation and the plant is being directly fed to the root. Think of it as an IV to a person. We can give water to the plant immediately so that makes growing the chile much easier than with flood irrigation because we can control how much we give it on a daily basis versus a weekly basis.”

This process, combined with the nutrient-rich soil and particular climate of region, is what gives these Hatch chiles their highly coveted flavor. Not quite saccharine sweet like an apricot, they do share a mild sweetness that you can find if you eat further away from the vein, which lies in the center of the chile. Hatch chiles have a heat that ranges from mild, medium, hot to extra hot.

The farm is on a five-year crop rotation, meaning that the chiles are only planted once every five years. Between those years, the soil is prepared with plenty of nutrients to ensure the very best yield possible every season.

“Growing good crops take footsteps in the fields. This begins before daylight in the field many times till after dark. Checking the crop, making sure that it’s fed right and taken care of. When we harvest the chile, we actually pick it in bulk in the fields and then it moves to a packing shed where it’s washed and cleaned.

”We’d like to thank the Duane Gillis and the Gillis family for their hospitality, expertise and contributions in producing the world’s best finest chiles.