When we lived in southeasterrn NM there was a family farm 30 minutes away that grew by far the best chiles I've ever eaten-better than Hatch, or the Espanola chile we got in college. But they closed down because the owners retired and the kids were all doctors or engineers and wanted nothing to do with farming. At Haldeman Farms you told them what you wanted, and some workers drove out to the field and picked it. For a few extra bucks they roasted it so all i had to do was package it. We're only 1.5 hours from Hatch and the chile is obviously excellent but we don't have the connection we did with the Haldeman family. They had a variety of fruit and produce, something was available almost year round.Believe it or not, right at my neighborhood Fred Meyers. I was in there and noticed they had Hatch peppers for sale in little 2 or 3 lb bags. I asked the produce guy if they had more in the back and he asked me if I wanted a whole case. I said, "you know it". I was actually shopping online and was gonna order some from NM. With shipping a case woulda cost me close to $90. I got this one for $30 something. My families spice tolerance is a bit low so I had to get the milds.
I grow Cayennes in my garden in France, and we can get some moderately hot Moroccan green chile at the grocery stores. Next year I'll plant NM seeds in a hot box in early spring to lengthen the growing season, maybe it will work.