Stephen Sichler indicates which chiles will be the first to be harvested in one his family’s fields near San Antonio. The Sichlers plan on selling the green chile at their stand across from the Owl Bar next week. Red chile will be harvested a few weeks later. Photo by John Larson/Mountain Mail
It’s chile harvest time in Socorro County, that special time of year when roasters char the skins of those precious peppers and New Mexicans stock up for the year.
Although some farmers in the valley have stopped growing chile, others report having a good crop this season.
County Extension Agent Tom Dean said several factors may be to blame for the fact that there are fewer growers this year.
“For one thing, it’s the cost and uncertainty in marketplace,” Dean said. “Chile is a good cash crop, but you have to have a successful year. The lack of labor to get it picked is another issue.”
Dean said weather has not been an issue this season.
“We’ve had moisture, but the rains have been scattered enough to keep phytophthora, the root rot, from setting in,” he said. “As for insects, we always see the leaf hopper, but they’ve not been too bad.”
The produce stand of Sichler Farms in San Antonio plans to be open for business this weekend.
“It looks pretty good this year,” Paula Sichler told the Mountain Mail. “We’ve got a good crop of the four biggest favorites – Joe Parkers, Big Jims, Barkers, and Sandias.”
She said their jalapeños are plentiful and safe.
“The jalapeño scare was because of one grower in Mexico,” she said. “Those jalapeños were irrigated with untreated sewage water. That’s not the case here, of course. Our jalapeños are good and safe.”
The Sichler family has been growing and selling chile for 140 years in the middle Rio Grande valley.
Although Sichler chile is marketed to restaurants from Las Cruces to Santa Fe, Paula said most of their business is through retail.
Paula and Erica Sichler operate the family produce stand in San Antonio. A second stand is in Los Lunas.
Sichler’s stand in San Antonio will be selling produce this weekend. Paula said she expects green chiles to be ready for roasting by the following weekend.
Mario Rosales sells his chile, and other produce, from his familiar stand in Escondida just off Exit 153 on Interstate 25.
According to a report from New Mexico State University, a mechanized harvester and chile de-stemmer has been in development and will be tested later this month at the school.
Although the harvester may help farmers who have had problems finding pickers, Sichler said the harvester wouldn’t work for those who pick both green and red chile.
“We produce part green and part red,” she said. “For us, the harvester would only work on red chile, after the green has been picked.”
The Mario Rosales family, which has a farm north of Socorro, has been growing and selling chile for 39 years.
“It started out with my dad,” Mario said. “I joined him in the business in 1982.”
Rosales, like Sichler, also has a wide variety of fresh produce. Rosales has been selling and roasting his chile at the Farmer’s Market on the plaza.
Smaller chile growers also can be found marketing their chile there.
Nick Keller, who operates UK Farms in Polvadera, was at the plaza on Tuesday evening.
“We have some good Sandia chiles and other peppers,” Keller said.
