We expect to start shipping fresh hatch green chile the 16th of August this year, and will be shipping on a first-come first-serve basis. Pre-orders will be shipped out first, and orders placed after August 1st may not go out till the following week. You can expect to receive your chile on the Wednesday or Thursday of the week we ship. Happy chile roasting!
At Berridge Farms we have a tradition of excellence. We currently farm over 300 acres of prime farmland in the Hatch valley, and have been in the produce business for more than 60 years. Hatch green chile, grown only here in the Hatch Valley is famous for its great flavor and has been featured in magazines such as Sunset, Country America, and Gourmet as well as on BBC News.
We have also served the Santa Fe market for more than 15 years selling thousands of pounds of fresh chile each year at the intersection of Cerrillos & Baca in downtown Santa Fe from mid August through late September. Most weekends, you can find up to three generations of Berridges helping to roast and sell our famous product.
We grow 4 varieties of hatch green chile:
Mild, (New Mexico #20) ranges in size from 6-9 inches, and is a very mild variety with absolutely no heat. This would be a good starting point for someone wanting to try green chile. It is meaty and a good choice for very mild rellenos.
Medium, (Big Jim) is a variety co-developed in our valley. It is a large meaty chile ranging in size from 7-10 inches in length. Big Jim will vary in heat from one chile to the next, so it is a favorite in our family to chop and use for medium heat enchiladas. It is also great for rellenos, if you don't mind the variety in heat. We've had a Big Jim relleno that held a half pound of hamburger!!
Hot, (Sandia) is a smaller variety which will range from 5-8 inches. This is a hot variety that is a favorite among chile veterans. It can be used for enchiladas, rellenos, and most very hot dishes. Sandia is known for being consistently hot, and makes great enchilada sauce.
Extra-Hot, (Barker) chile is our smallest variety, however, it packs quite a punch in the heat department. This variety is for HOT CHILE lovers only. It makes great salsa and can be added in small quantities to give a blast of heat to anything. Barker really is an X-Hot chile, so if you haven't tried it before you might want to try Sandia or Big Jim first.
Our green chile is the freshest on the market, as it is picked on Mondays and Tuesdays, and shipped to you the same day. Chile quickly loses its quality if it isn't refrigerated after picking, so our pick-n-ship policy ensures that you will get the best quality possible. Don't be fooled by "Hatch Green Chile" in many large chain grocery stores even if you are in New Mexico because very rarely does this ever come from here in the valley. Despite the fact that vendors will often assure their customers that this is genuine, much of the chile sold in such places is really from Mexico. At Berridge Farms, we believe that the Hatch Chile name should only be used for chile grown right here in the Hatch Valley.
Currently, we do not currently offer pre-roasted and frozen chile, only fresh, but are looking into providing it later this year. Our chile is picked and shipped on the same day via USPS Priority Mail, so you can expect that fresh from the field New Mexico taste. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us atadmin@berridgefarms.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
