The season is August through early September, but depending on weather conditions, the harvest can begin as early as July and finish in early October.

If you can’t find Hatch chiles locally, head to Melissas.com.
 
ABOUT HATCH CHILES

Authentic New Mexican Hatch chiles are named after the original growing area of Hatch, New Mexico in the Mesilla Valley, just north of Las Cruces. The valley, which stretches along the Rio Grande’s southernmost bend before crossing into Texas and Mexico, is covered with row after row of green, leafy Hatch chile plants for most of the summer.

Every September, after the harvest, there are formal and informal Hatch chile festivals. In towns throughout New Mexico, the aroma of roasted chiles fills the air, along with the sounds of the Hatch chiles popping and crackling as they roast in propane-powered roasters. They’re roasted in grocery store parking lots, on street corners and seemingly everywhere and just about everyone enjoys the seasonal treat.

Chefs say that the intense sunlight, hot days and cool nights in the valley result in a uniquely flavored chile. Favorite recipes include chile con queso, chiles rellenos, and chile verde.

Hatch chiles from New Mexico. Photo courtesy Melissas.com.

But it doesn’t stop there: The roasted chiles are used in salads, soups, stews, dips and sandwiches. Roasting instructions are below, and recipes are available at Melissas.com. Click on the recipe tab towards the bottom of the page to see dozens of yummy Hatch chile recipes. (Consider the Hatch chile chocolate chip cookies.)

Check out the different types of chiles.
  
HOW TO ROAST HATCH CHILES
All chiles can be roasted over an open flame—on a grill or a gas stove—or under the broiler.

1. To roast chiles over an open flame on the grill or stovetop, hold the pepper with tongs over a medium flame, turning occasionally until evenly charred. To roast chiles under a broiler, arrange chiles in a single layer in a baking pan or sheet and place under a hot broiler. Turn occasionally to char evenly.

2. When the skin is blackened and blistered, place chiles in a paper or plastic bag, or in a pan with a tight fitting cover. Seal or cover and allow to cool. The chiles will deflate and shrivel, but their skin will easily lift off, revealing a silky flesh underneath.

3. Remove seeds and stems (if not using the stems for chiles rellenos) and use as directed in your recipe.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHILES & PEPPERS OR CHILE PEPPERS?

The original name, chile, comes from the Aztec language of the New World (chilli). When Columbus’ crew first tasted chiles, in the Caribbean, the heat and pungency reminded them of black pepper. They referred to the chiles as peppers or chile peppers.

Pepper is a completely unrelated species; the fruits (yes chiles are fruits) should be called chiles (the Spanish transcription) or chiles. But after 500 years, it’s tough to change the record.

While the coals are hot, make grilled clams and mussels as a healthful and low-calorie Labor Day treat.

This video shows how easy it is:

Find more of our favorite seafood recipes.

What’s your favorite way to use lemon juice? Photo courtesy Wikimedia.

There are many uses for lemon juice in the home. A partial list includes: household cleaner, copper cleaner, stain remover, room deodorizer, laundry brightener, hair shiner, nail treatment, sore throat gargle and digestive aid.

Our focus was on food. But first:

HOW TO GET THE MOST JUICE FROM A LEMON

Before you begin, here are juicing tips to get more juice from your lemons (and other citrus):

Yield: 1 medium lemon yields 2-3 tablespoons of juice; 5-6 lemons will yield 1 cup of juice.

Zest: Don’t forget to save the zest. Here’s what to do with lemon zest or other citrus zest.
  
FOOD USES FOR LEMON JUICE

Beyond use in recipes, here are ways that lemon juice will make your life easier:

Anti-Browning Agent. Keep cut fruit and vegetables such as apples, avocados/guacamole, fruit salad, pears and potatoes from turning brown by sprinkling, tossing or brushing with a little bit of lemon juice (you can mix it into the guacamole).

Clean The Grater. Cheese is always stuck in our grater. Grab a lemon half and rub both sides of the grater with the pulp side. You can slice off the top of the lemon and use it for food.

Lemon Water. Perk up your daily glasses of water for flavor, the antioxidant vitamin C and other health benefits.

Marmalade. If you make jams and jellies, try lemon marmalade. We like it as a garnish with grilled fish/seafood and roast poultry.

Marinade. Add lemon juice to marinades for fish or meat. It’s a flavorizer as well as a tenderizer.

Pancakes. Lemon juice, along with baking powder, makes lighter and fluffier pancakes. Here’s a recipe.

Soft Drinks. We grew up in an era of Lemon Cokes. Add lemon juice to cola and fruit sodas. See how it perks up cherry, lemon-lime, orange and raspberry pop.

Veggie Saver. Perk up wilted lettuce and other greens by soaking them for an hour in a bowl of cold water and the juice of one lemon.

  
How do you use lemon juice? Let us know!
 
  

But as we ate soufflé after veggie soufflé, we grew to really like them. We became so accustomed to eating one a day as a snack or as part of a light lunch, that we laid in a new supply when the original shipment was exhausted.

While we relish the vegetable soufflés as casual fare, we wouldn’t hesitate to serve them as a first course at a fancy dinner. Assuming, of course, that we’d be willing to share our stash.

The soufflés are made in nine varieties: broccoli, butternut squash, carrot, cauliflower, pizza (cauliflower topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella), roasted vegetable (mixed veggies), southwestern (mixed veggies with southwestern seasonings), spinach and zucchini.

There are also two julienned vegetable dishes that satisfy: zucchini marinara and zucchini portabella.

The line is certified kosher.
 
Read the full review.

Find more of our favorite vegetable products and recipes.
  

Now, holiday ice trays like this Valentine cube
tray can be used year-round. Photo courtesy
Lekue.

We have long been advocates of making ice cubes from coffee, tea, juice, wine and soda, so as not to dilute our iced coffee, iced tea, cocktails, punch and soft drinks (original article).

You can add mint leaves to water to create mint ice cubes for Mojitos, basil leaves in water or tomato juice for Bloody Marys and berries in water for any sweet drink.

But the versatile ice cube tray has other uses as well. We use ours to freeze:

 
Depending on the recipe, you can simply pop the cube into the pot.

You can transfer the cubes to a freezer bag after they’re fully frozen, or keep them in a covered ice cube tray (if your tray doesn’t have a tight-fitting cover, use plastic wrap).

When you’re ready to use them, remember that each cube is approximately one teaspoon; eight standard cubes comprises roughly one cup.

Having alternative uses for ice cube trays has enabled us to buy seasonal ice cube trays—hearts, stars, Christmas trees and pumpkins—without the guilt of taking up storage space with “one-use gadgets.”

We often give seasonal ice cube trays as gifts, along with our list of things to use them for year-round.

HOW TO FREEZE HERB ICE CUBES

1. CLEAN. Wash and pat dry. Decide if you want to freeze whole or chopped herbs, and chop as desired.

2. CHOP. The objective is to have the water cover the herbs, so fill the ice cube tray sections with a tablespoonful of chopped herbs or as many whole herbs as fit. Tamp down whole herbs.

3. FILL. Fill the tray halfway, using enough water to cover the herbs (though the herbs tend to float). Freeze.

4. FREEZE. Once the ice cubes are largely frozen, finish filling the tray with water and freeze completely. Remove from the tray and store in freezer bags.

5. USE. Toss frozen cubes directly into the pot or pan. The heat will defrost the cube. If you need to eliminate the water, add the cube first and let the water evaporate.

Never again toss out unused, wilted herbs!