The Chimayó Chile is one of our favorite peppers in the world! They have a unique and different flavor that imparts pure deliciousness to many dishes. Many chefs believe that the Chimayó Chile is the most delicious chile pepper in the American southwest.
'Chimayó', the chile pepper landrace grown in and around the small village of Chimayó, is the most well known of the New Mexico landrace chiles.
The Chimayó Chile is known by locals in New Mexico as well as by connoisseurs around the world for being one of the tastiest chile you can get your hands on. In fact, NPR recently did a story on this rare treat, give it a listen to get inspired to grow your own Chimayó from seed!
Chimayó chile are smaller and curvier than the more well-known Hatch chile varieties. They have been grown locally for over 400 years in the small village of Chimayó, New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains between Santa Fe and Taos. The heirloom seeds were grown by the Pueblo Indians as well as Spaniards in the southwest region. To this day, the Chimayó is beloved by many, including chefs and of course foodies, due to it's unique indescribably good flavor – so to grow these rare Chimayo chiles from seed in your own garden is a real treat.
Chimayó is often the iconic chile you see in the beautiful Ristras, shown above, which are used to dry the chile for year-round use. Often Chimayó is ground into powder to be used in sauces and dishes like enchiladas, eggs, stews, and so much more. Many people like to use it in a salt shaker and sprinkle it on all kinds of foods.
Chimayó chile is easy to start from seed in any vegetable garden. Read how to grow them lower below. They are fast growing peppers, with harvests beginning just 75 days after planting from seed. Due to this they are great for short growing seasons like in higher elevations (the village of Chimayo is at 6,067 ft elevation.)
How to grow Chimayó Chile Seeds:
In early spring, start Chimayó seeds indoors 8 weeks prior to warm nightly temperatures. Place the seeds in sterile Seed Starting Mix such as Coast of Main's Seed Starter Mix, and cover 1/4” deep. We do not recommend using peat-based mixes or Jiffy peat pellets to start Chimayó or any pepper seeds, they don't seem to like it and won't germinate as successfully.
Provide 85°F bottom heat (a seedling heat mat works wonders!) and bright light (LED or Florescent lights work great) and keep moist at all times. Seeds will germinate in 7 - 21 days. Transplant seedlings into pots and grow until there are 6 true leaves on the plant.
Air Circulation and Movement is important: Put a small fan on your seedlings after sprouting to help them grow stronger, stockier, thicker stems. This will also help to avoid Damping Off which is a common seedling ailment when seeds are started indoors. You can also just brush them daily with your hands if you don't have a fan or want to save electricity.
Harden off the Chimayó seedlings before transplanting outdoors. This means that you should expose them to the outdoor sun and breezes in small doses, starting with a couple hours of dappled shade, and over a period of days work up to a full day of sun before transplanting. This will help to avoid transplant shock and get your Chimayó chile plants used to the strong light of the sun as well as wind.
Plant them outdoors into rich soil, 30” apart in the garden, or into large 5 gallon containers after all chance of frost has passed, and the nighttime temps have warmed up to 50˚F+ consistently. We like to add compost to the soil before planting to help boost nutrients.
Water them in well after transplanting, but after that make sure that they do not get too much water, over-watered plants will start to turn yellow and get stunted, so don't do it!
Harvest chiles when they are green. If left on the plant a couple more weeks, the Chimayó chiles will turn red at full maturity. These are fast growing and are ready to pick typically starting around 75 days after planting.
To preserve them, you can make a Ristra from your Chimayo chiles and hang to dry for year-round use in the kitchen. Learn How to Make a Ristra »
Be sure to grow this rare and uniquely flavorful Chimayó chile in your garden! This heirloom chile has been grown for generations in the Chimayó Valley of northern New Mexico and is beloved for it's fantastic red chile flavor. At first it tastes sweet and then medium hot. The amazing flavor is the result of hand selection over hundreds of years.
Many people say that the Chimayó chiles taste best when grown in the Chimayó valley, because they taste better, sweeter – and it is known that the unique terroir of the region (the soil, weather and land of Chimayó) is what makes the chile taste so good. While it may be the terroir that gives this special chile the exceptionally unique flavor known to the ones grown in Chimayó – we think they still taste delicious no matter where you grow them., Chimayó chiles can be grown pretty much all over the world that you can grow summer vegetables, so Chimayó chiles are definitely worth trying them in your garden. Grow some and share with your friends and family!
Buy Chimayó chile seeds »
If Chimayó is not available (as it is seasonally available and supply often runs out), you can use other dried New Mexico chiles such as Guajillo chile (shown above) – they just don't have the same fruity flavor as the Chimayó landrace chile.
Guajillo chiles have delicous, complex flavor, too – with the same mild heat and some of the smokiness of Chimayó, but a bit less of the fruity sweetness.
Any of the New Mexican Chile varieties are delicious in their own way. And your own garden terroir will lend it's own unique flavors to your harvest. Soil type, climate, and topography can all play a role in the flavor and heat of your peppers. But they all taste great!
