Very interesting. This is the first I have heard of the Chimayo Chile. The Chileman link below has a little more info on them. According to them they come from Mexico rather than New Mexico. It looks similar to the Sandia, which is also rather rare and difficult to grow.
John

Here is a link that might be useful: Chileman

yes that is a typo. notice in the upper left it says the place of origin is New Mexico. they simply left the New off by accident.

but it describes it well. high flavor medium heat. But this is suppose to be very easy to grow. notice it says very early. that is suppose to be true also.

I find these new mexico style chiles to be easy for me to grow. so this one being high flavor and early looks like a winner to me.

also I dont want a large chile releno to be as hot as my habs. I have 100 habs out there so if I need more heat I can pour it on. I have not eaten any chimayo yet. but I plan on growing this one next year.

here is some info on the Sandia. I dont think it is rare. it is a developed strain. the Chimayo is a 400 year heirloom strain. I also will guess that the Sandia is hotter than the Chimayo.

http://www.biadchili.com/sandia.htm

they sell a 3 gm pack for $3. that should be about 450 seeds more or less a generous amount at a low price. so I dont think they are rare.

But I would also agree that the Sandia is probably a good choice for growing. but I want the heirloom with good flavor and will see how it turns out. for me this is simply a fun project. I already have some very hot Anaheim seeds for next year.

Thanks Organic. That's good info for me on Sandias. I will definitely order from them early next year.
John

1lb chimayo powder

follow the above link for 1lb chimayo powder for under $6... if you like it then get the seeds :)

rare to find quality pepper powder for so cheap per pound.

great place. thanks for the link. I will be buying more than the chimayo there. great prices and they have everything.

Thanks

One place I looked was $9.98 for 1 lb of chimayo BUT because it was 2 short of the $10 min order it was $2.50 extra shipping charges. Sorry my Yankee cheap was challenged

yes that gets me too.

Actually this spice place does something similar. it has a $5 extra charge for any order less than $30. so I really have to put together $30 order to avoid the extra $5 tax. the shipping is on top of all this.

When I ordered the Chimayo from Mary Lou in Chimayo NM, I did not even ask about the shipping charges. I just assumed they would be honest.

byron are you getting enough rain up in NH. it looks like a minimum of 4 straight days of cool rain down here in Mass.

Interestingly I cut off the main stem of a tomato plant and stuck it in water on late Monday. but Wednesday the roots were sticking out of the stem. amazing. the fastest rooting I have ever seen. I have head people say that tomatoes root easy. but I had never tried it before. I was going to plant it directly outdoors but it was raining so hard. I will get it into the ground this morning. with a few more days of rain it will root outside. pretty cool.

I also talked to a Laurie down there. Laurie seems to be really nice and knows a lot about what is happening down there. I will try to get up a report later.

If you are looking for Chimayo seeds or other really hard to find seeds and want to help preserve them. You might consider looking at the Native Seeds.org site. They are trying to maintain a lot of different varieties and preserve them.

I originally purchased chimayo pepper seeds from a small co in NM called Talavaya seeds which has since closed.they supplied native American seeds and the planting instructions. I grew out my seeds with great success, but due to some poor growing seasons I used up all my seeds, now it would seem there is another source to try.thanks.

Chimayo,Casada Farm (Spelling of my source) grown last year. Mild heat with a hint of sweet

I couldn't agree more. I had a friend from New Mexico bring me some chile power and it turned out to be Chimayo.
I tried other kinds when I ran out but there is no comparison. Chimayo is the best.

I've got about 1 oz of chimayo seeds for sase

Not New Mex grown

But I bet it would hard to tell the difference

No Chimayo in not grown in a valley but at over 6,000 ft elevation

Project hopes to spur comeback of near-extinct chile strain

By Brandon Garcia : The New Mexican Santa Fe October 24, 2005

Farmers, preservationists and government officials met Sunday to form a plan to save Chimayó's famous red chile.

The chile, grown locally since the 17th century, is close to extinction. But if they get their way, Chimayó red might not only make
a comeback, it might wind up listed as a featured ingredient on the swankiest menus in the country, like the Meyer lemon, the Vidalia onion or the Key lime.

Marie Campos of the Santa Fe Institute for Native Hispanic Culture has been working on the Chimayó Chile Project since April. She said that although the chile has been famous for nearly 100 years, she's only found five Chimayó families that grow the local strain.

While there are plenty of red chile products that carry the Chimayó label, most aren't grown there, said Rick Homans, the state's
secretary for economic development. The attempt to trademark Chimayó chile "is the most exciting endeavor in the state, currently," he said. "People with no relation to Chimayó are taking the name and using it to make a lot of money," he said.

The consortium wants to change that. If it succeeds, only chile grown locally with a pure strain would be labeled Chimayó, Homans said.

And if they're granted a trademark, Chimayó farmers stand to make a bundle. In general, Homans said, specialty goods sell for five to 10 times as much as regular produce, and chefs in major culinary Meccas are attracted to them. To get there will be a challenge.

Campos and Chimayóans are discussing how to restore long-neglected acequias and grow chile on land owned by farmers too old to tend to a field full of crops.

The institute has also formed a partnership with Santa Fe County to grow chile on 7 acres of public land behind the Santuario de Chimayó. According to the plan, experienced local farmers will raise chile there, showing the process to younger farmers so they can do it themselves, Campos said.

Eventually, she said, the county might build a processing plant to introduce even more jobs to Chimayó.

But that seems a long way off. The group's first priority is to harvest as much chile seed as possible. Right now, Campos said, there
isn't enough seed to support the endeavor. "That's how low its dwindled. Those that have it are holding on tight. The chile's almost
extinct."

If things go well, next year's harvest on the public land -- and the harvest on five private farms the institute has contracted -- will be
enough to grow 23 acres of chile for the next harvest. Campos admitted it's a very ambitious goal.

But the project has attracted the attention of Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., who recently pledged his support, and might gather steam.

Besides, Campos and Homans said, it's worth it. "This species is unique. There's no other chile like it genetically," Campos said.

In the 1800s, Chimayó red became famous from Colorado to Mexico and nearly all Chimayó families grew it, she said.

But when the Los Alamos National Laboratories opened in the 1943, many farmers took jobs there instead. Chile production gradually waned despite the crop's fame, she said.

But the Chimayó soil and climate also play a role. "You won't get the same taste or quality if you take the Chimayó seed and plant it in Hatch," Homans said.

Without the preservation effort, he said, "this could have been lost forever."

Contact Brandon Garcia at 995-3826 or at bgarcia@sfnewmexican.com.

n 10/27/05, Perry C. Abernethy wrote:

The first chile strains grown by the colonial Spanish in New Mexico were in Velarde and Chimayo in 1598. The chile here earlier and grown by the Pueblo indians along the Rio Grande along with corn, squash and beans. (All still grown here) The Velarde and Chimayo chile are the primeval stock for most of our other chiles, including the Espanola, Analheim, Big Jim, etc. Yes, chile is the main topic of conversation in New Mexico, and we are very proud of it. In fact the state question is "red or green or Christmas?" One of our niversities has dedicated a great deal of its resources and researd to creating a Chile Pepper Institute and researching and creating new strains.
http://lib.nmsu.edu/subject/agnic/chile.html When my Dad would go to to New Jersey on business they didn't even know New Mexico was in the United States and sometimes think its all desert here, like Arizona. They even think they have the oldest churches, capitols and buildings in the United States. Alas, they do not know their history or their geography. New Mexicans have long thought it very interesting to talk about chile, even on the internet. Just as a restored historical building is news, for us a restored historical chile is news-tremendous news.

SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 31

47th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2005

INTRODUCED BY

Nancy Rodriguez

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE STATE RECORDS CENTER TO CONDUCT A STUDY TO DOCUMENT CHIMAYO CHILE'S CULTURAL, TRADITIONAL AND INDUSTRIAL CONNECTION TO PRESENT WAYS OF LIVING IN CHIMAYO AND THE SURROUNDING NORTHERN NEW MEXICO COMMUNITY; REQUESTING THE NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO CONDUCT A SEED, SOIL AND INDUSTRY STUDY OF CHIMAYO CHILE AND WORK WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IN PLANNING CHIMAYO CHILE'S LONG-TERM CULTURAL ASSET PRESERVATION AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT; RECOGNIZING CHIMAYO CHILE AS A LIVING HEIRLOOM OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO HISPANIC CULTURAL, FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL TRADITIONS.

WHEREAS, it is the desire of the New Mexico legislature that Chimayo chile as a New Mexico Hispanic cultural asset be preserved as a living tradition; and

WHEREAS, to preserve the traditional and cultural value of chile as a symbol of a way of life and a living cultural asset of the great state of New Mexico, it is imperative that a written document be compiled, that historic records be maintained and that the story be made accessible to the citizens of New Mexico; and

WHEREAS, it is right and proper for all people to know and understand the unique history of chile, the role it has played and the legendary status it has achieved in the formation of the state's food traditions; and

WHEREAS, Chimayo chile followed a cultural, industrial, agricultural and political pathway from 1598 to 1821, when the Spanish flag flew over New Mexico; and

WHEREAS, between 1821 and 1846, when the Mexican flag flew over New Mexico, Chimayo chile acquired a legendary status on established trade routes due to its particular taste; and

WHEREAS, Chimayo chile is still grown in the northern New Mexico mountain valley that the early Spaniards called La Canada and that is now known as Chimayo; and

WHEREAS, for the first two hundred fifty years of northern New Mexico Hispanic history, Chimayo proudly maintained its food traditions, customs and culture, adapting and integrating chile traditions with native counterparts as an act of thanksgiving and faith; and

WHEREAS, in 1846, New Mexico became a territory of the United States, achieving statehood in 1912; and

WHEREAS, four hundred three years later, Chimayo chile still enjoys the legendary status begun by the industrious growers who developed the first chile trade routes to the north; and

WHEREAS, Chimayo growers continue to proudly herald and celebrate the state's living food traditions, customs, culture and faith; and

WHEREAS, the Hispanic children of New Mexico should understand that their roots are in the proud status of Chimayo chile and the land where it grows; and

WHEREAS, Chimayo chile has achieved legendary status as a food heirloom in oral history; and

WHEREAS, that status as an oral heirloom enables ongoing cultivators of Chimayo chile to take pride in the four-hundred-year development of their living food traditions along with the economic well-being it affords them; and

WHEREAS, New Mexico's Hispanic history and food traditions are unique among all the states in the union; and

WHEREAS, it is important to keep Chimayo's agricultural and cultural asset alive and well preserved through organized study and practicums;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that Chimayo chile be recognized as a living heirloom of northern New Mexico Hispanic cultural, food and agricultural traditions that is worthy of preservation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state records center be requested to conduct a study to document Chimayo chile's cultural, traditional and industrial connection to present ways of living in Chimayo and the surrounding northern New Mexico community, and that a written report on the history of Chimayo chile be provided to the governor and the legislature by December 31, 2005; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New Mexico department of agriculture be requested to conduct a seed, soil and industry study of Chimayo chile; to work with the local community in planning Chimayo chile's long-term cultural asset preservation and industrial development; and to provide a written report of its recommendations for preserving Chimayo's chile seeds, soil composition, land, growers and industrial development to the governor and legislature by December 31, 2005; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the New Mexico department of agriculture and the state records center.

6075 ft is not exactly a valley, thats over 1 mile high

From the link:

"It is sited in a valley..."

I think it a bunch of mountains, with the "foot hills"
in a certain valley

"...about ten miles east of Espanola..."

Ha! I'm growing Espanola chiles this year.

Jim

Yes, Chimayo is in a valley, even though we are at 6,000 feet. There are higher mountains all around us (the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, foothills of the Rockies).

Chimayo is in the valley because that is where the river is, and in arid New Mexico, you have to be near water to grow crops. We have an ancient system of irrigation started by the Indians and perfected by the Spanish. There is a village official called a mayordomo who tells us when and how often we can water.

For the best information on Chimayo chile and seeds, go to the link below.

Wow Great Information

Neat! Now I'm intrigued and want to grow these peppers too!

I am growing a Chimayo I got as a live plant from Cross Country Nurseries. It's a nice pepper. My plant is 2 or 3 years old (need to check my garden notes)

It grows somewhat sprawling, low along he ground. Is this normal?