There are certain smells that instantly tell you a season has arrived. Pumpkin spice might work for the rest of the country, but around here? It’s roasted Hatch green chile.
Every Labor Day weekend, thousands of people from El Paso load up the car and make the hour-and-a-half drive to Hatch, New Mexico. Some go to stock up on fresh chile for the freezer, others go for the food and live entertainment, and plenty of us go simply because it’s become one of those Borderland traditions you don’t really question- you just go!
With this year’s Hatch Chile Festival almost here, it’s nearly time for one of New Mexico’s biggest celebrations and one of my favorite signs that summer is coming to an end.
The Hatch Chile Festival is a Borderland Tradition
For more than 50 years, the Hatch Chile Festival has celebrated the famous Hatch Valley chile harvest, growing into a Labor Day weekend event that attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year- including plenty from El Paso…