The long awaited NuMex Sandia Select pepper seeds are now available from Sandia Seed Company! This new variety has superior flavor, uniform high heat level, better plant and pod uniformity, higher yield and a thick fruit wall. Non-GMO. Approximately 30 seeds per seed packet and also available in bulk 1/2 oz. and 2 oz. quantities.
Buy seeds here: NuMex Sandia Select Seeds »
This pepper is fantastic! It has good flavor, thick flesh, a nice green color and the production is great. The original Sandia chile pepper seeds, grown around the Mesilla Valley and up into Hatch, were released in 1956. Like most New Mexico chiles, Sandia starts out as green in the field. Unfortunately, Sandia chile peppers had thinner fruit walls when compared to other peppers used for green chile. So, growers in the region traditionally let the Sandia chile peppers ripen into red pods before they are harvested. The red pods were processed and used in red chile powder and in red chile flakes. Many farmers take a first green harvest, and then a second red harvest with a long growing season.
In 2001, researchers at NMSU began work to develop a better Sandia chile with meatier flesh using proven open-pollinated techniques. The Chile Pepper Institute selected for plant traits that would make Sandia useful as a green chile pepper. The process started with 15 different chile lines, and each was evaluated for taste, yield, disease resistance, pod structure and other plant habits. Each year a few of the most desirable lines were kept. Eventually, a winner emerged – NuMex Sandia Select. The new variety has a long, straight pod and a firm fruit wall; perfect for use as a green chile.
View all of our varieties of Green Chile Seeds »
