Nambe Chile

We are fortunate this year to offer chile seed from Rose Trujillo of Nambe which has been passed down in her family for many generations. The Nambe chile is sometimes compared to the chile from nearby Chimayo, but is even more difficult to find. The pods of Nambe are larger than Chimayo with somewhat thicker walls. The flavor is fiery- sweet and smoky. It takes about 80 days from transplant to begin to ripen the 6-8 inch pods. Here, it is direct-seeded into the fields in May and comes to market green in August to be roasted. After ripening to red in October, it is tied into riastras and hung from the eaves in the traditional villages and pueblos.
I firmly believe eating chile every day is the secret to a healthy and happy existence. A packet will contain about 100 chile seeds and ensure you will harvest a bushel basket of this ancient crop.
You can meet Rose and her family every Saturday at the Santa Fe Farmers Market where they bring chile, beans, salsa and all sorts of wonderful baked goods and preserves. They are fellow vendors right next to our booth at the market and our good and close friends.