Monday, September 7, 2015

It's Green Chile Season in New Mexico!

I love the aroma and colors of Fall in New Mexico.  The kick off to Fall and football is Green Chile Season.  At our house, we support our local FFA by purchasing roasted green chile for freezing.  Of course we don't freeze it all as we make one our favorite dishes, chile rellenos.  This year the chile was exceptionally meaty and made excellent rellenos. 

Care must be taken when freezing green chile.  As the chile cools to below 140 degrees, bacteria begins to grow.  Chile needs to be cooled all the way through to 40 degrees with in 2 hours of roasting to slow bacteria growth.  Many travelers come through New Mexico during this time and want to purchase a bushel of roasted peppers to take home.  The safe method of taking some of New Mexico Flavor home with you is to purchase it unroasted and roast it yourself when you get home.

Here is a publication on how to safely freeze chile.Freezing Green Chile

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