The Hatch Chile Festival is usually held around Labor Day and this year the dates are August 30-31. You can think of it as a mini-Woodstock for chile-heads. The Southern New Mexico festival celebrates the harvest of the year’s chile crop and there will be plenty of it to be had. The chile roasters will be roaring and that one of a kind aroma fills the air.

Activities also include chile eating contests, the coronation of the Chile Queen, live music, auctions and more contests.

As far as a town goes, Hatch New Mexico is pretty darn small and motel rooms are limited. Larger communities in Southern New Mexico with more motel rooms include Las Cruces, Demming, and Truth or Consequences. (The locals call it T or C) You might have better luck finding motel rooms in those locations.
Take plenty of sun screen and a big hat. There is not much shade, but there is plenty of New Mexico chile goodness and fun. And beer. Here is a link to the official Hatch Chile Festival website.

This is a super easy casserole dish that my late mother-in-law Ruth Schneider used to make. It combines a common summer veggie with the zing of New Mexico green chile. You may even have the veggie in your home garden. The list of ingredients is short:

Here is a quick and easy way to use up some left-over ham and get your fix of New Mexico green chile.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and fetch a 2 quart casserole dish. Here is what else you’ll need: Read the rest of this entry »