No problem tracydr :) Green Chile Stew 2 TBSP oil 2 lbs pork butt, trimmed & cut into 1" cubes 2 red onions chopped 3 quarts + 2 1/2 cups water 30 chiles, peeled, seeded and chopped an entire bulb of roasted garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 1 tsp oregano 2 tsp salt 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded (if our peppers are hot, I omit these) 2 cups cilantro 1/4 cup corn starch (or thickener of choice) Sour cream (we use cottage cheese) Cheddar cheese Chopped tomatoes Tortillas Heat oil over medium heat in a large pan. Brown the pork. Add onion and saute until tender. Add 2 cups of water and degalze the pan (scrape all the brown bits). Add 3 quarts of water and gently simmer for 30 minutes. Add chiles, garlic, oregano, and salt. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, until pork is tender (pork should be at least 2/3 covered with water throughout the simmer, add water if neccessary.) Puree the jalapenos, cilantro, 1/2 cup water, and corn starch or thickener of choice. *if you are going to freeze the stew, you will need to add your thickener when you defrost and reheat it.* Add jalapeno mixture to the stew, adjust seasoning (typically needs more salt) and cook for another 15 minutes. Serve. Garnish with sour cream (we use cottage cheese as our sour cream), cheddar cheese, and chopped tomatoes. We also serve tortillas on the side. I have modified the original recipe, but the original recipe came from "Coyote Cafe" by Mark Miller. Let me know if you make it, and if you like it :)

Jay, It is a truly amazing list and I hope the weather gives you a break and allows for some good fruit set. All my spring tomatoes have been in the ground for some time---some planted in April and some planted in May, and of course, the few I plant in containers in February for earliest tomatoes. Those extra-earlies were yanked out of the containers in late May and replaced with varieties I like better and needed to plant someplace since the ground was still so wet in the spot where they otherwise could have been planted. The earlies weren't anything special--I think they were Better Bush, Bush Goliath, Early Girl and Grape---and they did their job--giving us ripe tomatoes in April and May while we waited for the in-ground plantings to start producing. These are the spring plants I ended up with. The plants listed survived late freezes, 18" or 19" of rainfall in 5 weeks, high winds in the 30s-40s and gusting into the 50s, etc. After the kind of spring weather we had, I just feel lucky to have tomato plants that did survive. This year, I have cut back drastically on both the number of plants and number of varieties, having struggled with drought so desperately last year. I choose to take 4 rows out of tomato/pepper production and plant them with broccoli and potatoes because I felt like whatever rain might fall would fall during prime time for cool-season veggies. So far, that has seemed like a good decision. Although we'll have a lot fewer tomatoes/peppers overall, we'll have tons of broccoli (in the middle of the harvest right now) and lots of potatoes too. After years of trying dozens of new (to me) heirlooms every year, I've actually reversed and have been trying many more new (to me) hybrids the last 3 years. And I have been trying to "pare down" the heirloom list to only the best performers, planting more of the proven varieties that produce good yields for us and less of the heirlooms that may or may not. I'll never stop trying different heirloom varieties, but I am trying to go more and more with great producers (both heirloom and hybrid) and less with the testing of new varieties. So, here's my pared-back, scaled-down list of tomatoes that have been planted and which have survived so far in 2009: IN CONTAINERS: 1. Red Defender 2. Scarlet Red 3. Scarlet Red 4. Livingston's Gold Ball 5. Mountain Princess 6. Momotaro 7. Chocolate Stripes 8. Indian Stripes 9. Red Defencer 10. Red Defender 11. Tropic 12. Moreton 13. Homestead 24 14. Sophie's Choice 15. Tropic 16. Moreton 17. Viva Italia 18. Sioux 19. New Big Dwarf 20. Box Car Willie 21. Glacier 22. San Marzano Redorta 23. New Big Dwarf 24. Black Plum 25. Viva Italia 26. Black Krim 27. Aunt Ruby's German Green IN THE GARDEN: 28. Tess's Land Race Currant 29. Sweet Million 30. Snow White 31. Grape 32. Gold Ball 33. Black Cherry 34. Dr. Carolyn 35. Rose Quartz 36. Ildi 37. Better Bush 38. Yellow Cherry 39. Yellow Pear 40. Snow White 41. Ildi 42. Snow White 43. Rose Quartz 44. Black Cherry 45. Black Cherry 46. Jet Star 47. Ramapo 48. Indian Stripe 49. Indian Stripe 50. Brandy Boy 51. Brandy Boy 52. Black Cherry 53. Primetime 54. Royal Hillbilly 55. Nebraska Wedding 56. New Big Dwarf 57. Primetime 58. Moreton 59. Moreton 60. Supersonic 61. Supersonic 62. Jet Star 63. Ramapo 64. Arkansas Traveler 65. Arkansas Travelet 66. Box Car Willie 67. Black Cherry 68. Porterhouse 69. Orange Flesh Purple Smudge 70. Sioux 71. Brandywine 72. Brandywine 73. Sophie's Choice 74. Early Girl 75. Early Girl The following Dwarf plants were planted as a "border" down one side of a raised bed that had a double-row of Packman broccoli plants: 76. Red Robin 77. Red Robin 78. Red Robin 79. Orange Pixie 80. Orange Pixie 81. Orange Pixie 82. Yellow Canary 83. Yellow Canary There were about a dozen other varieties that did not survive the late freezes, flooding rains, and high winds that occurred after they were in the ground. Among them was True Black Brandywine, which was one of my healthiest plants and earliest producers last year. Last week I started seeds for the fall tomatoes. Although I don't yet know how many of each variety will end up being planted in the ground or in a container, here's the varieties I started: LIVINGSTON'S TOMATO VARIETIES: 1. Dwarf Stone 2. Favorite 3. Gold Ball 4. Golden Queen 5. Globe 6. Honor Bright (Lutescent) 7. Ideal 8. Magnus 9. Main Crop Pink 10. Paragon 11. Stone LONG-KEEPING TYPES: 12. Long Season Peach 13. Longkeeper 14. Keepsake 15. Sunray (technically not considered a longkeeper, but seems to be one) PASTE TYPES: 16. Rio Grande 17. San Marzano Redorta 18. Opalka HEAT SETTING TYPES: 19. Solar Set R 20. Solar Fire CHERRIES: 21. Cuban Yellow Grape 22. Sun Cherry 23. Sun Gold 24. Golden Sweet 25. Fargo OTHERS: 26. Dixie Golden Giant 27. True Black Brandywine 28. Bloody Butcher 29. Mountain Glory VFFF/TSWV 30. Mountain Fresh Plus For peppers, I'm only growing a few of the varieties that are the heaviest producers for us. I dropped about 20 varieties this year that I usually grow, but here's what we do have: 1. Tepin 2. Tepin 3. Tepin 4. Tepin 5. Jaloro Yellow Jalapeno 6. Mucho Nacho Jalapeno 7. Mucho Nacho Jalapeno 8. Mucho Nacho Jalapeno 9. Grande' Jalapeno 10. Ixtapa Jalapeno 11. Ixtapa Jalapeno 12. Ixtapa Jalapeno 13. Ixtapa Jalapeno 14. Habanero 15. Habanero 16. Habanero 17. Habanero 18. Red Beauty Sweet Bell 19. Red Beauty Sweet Bell 20. Red Beauty Sweet Bell 21. Red Beauty Sweet Bell 22. Purple Beauty Sweet Bell 23. Chocolate Beauty Sweet Bell 24. Chocolate Beauty Sweet Bell 25. Chocolate Beauty Sweet Bell 26. Chocolate Beauty Sweet Bell 27. Chocolate Beauty Sweet Bell 28. Chocolate Beauty Sweet Bell 29. Roumanian Rainbow Sweet Bell 30. Roumanian Rainbow Sweet Bell 31. Roumanian Rainbow Sweet Bell 32. Roumanian Rainbow Sweet Bell 33. Mini Belle Mix 34. Mini Belle Mix 35. Mini Belle Mix 36. Orange Sun Sweet Bell 37. Orange Sun Sweet Bell The only peppers I've planted for fall are ornamental ones, since the spring peppers will produce in the summer and in the fall. The ornamental ones I planted were Purple Flash and Royal Black, I think. All my plants get exactly the same thing at planting time....Espoma Tomato-Tone and a little bone meal. They do get periodic feedings of liquid seaweed or fish emulsion, and the ones in containers get fed a lot more often than the ones in the ground. In this year's garden, the earliest tomatoes to produce ripe fruit (not counting the extra-earlies in containers) have been Jet Star and Better Bush, Yellow Cherry and Black Cherry. The best-looking plants with healthy foliage and lots of blossoms/fruit, though, are the Harris Hybrids---Supersonic, Primetime and Moreton and the Rutgers/NJAES variety Ramapo. Close runners-up for great growth and fruit set include Indian Stripe, Royal Hillbilly, Mountain Princess and Brandy Boy. Although beaten almost to death by the wind as they were hardening off and/or newly planted, Scarlet Red and Red Defender have rebounded and look great. Most of my plants have set fruit now, so it is just the wait for more ripe ones. Everything went in later than usual this year, so the big harvest has not yet begun. Normally by now I am running the dehydrator daily with a few hundred cherry, grape, currant and small pear-shaped types being dried for winter. I was just thinking yesterday how odd it is that I'm not running the dehydrator yet. Still, I planted tons of bite-sized tomato varieties so I'm sure I'll eventually be dehydrating fruit daily. At the present time, none of the cherry tomatoes have made it into the house yet, because I pick them and eat them while working in the garden. Dawn

Technically, there is no real chile variety known as "Hatch". Hatch is a small town between Albuquerque and Las Cruces that is famous for green chile growing and has a yearly Chile Festival. If you bought chile seeds labeled as "Hatch" variety, it may have been a variety called AgCo Fire Green which are labeled as "hot Hatch green chile" sold here in NM. There are a lot of other varieties commonly grown in this area, though, such as NuMex Heritage 6-4, Big Jim, Barker X-Hot, Joe Parker, and Sandia to name a few, with varying flavors and heat levels. Then there are some northern NM varieties such as Chimayo and Espanola. These are just the varieties I am growing this year. Big Jim is a good mild to medium variety that you can use in your recipes calling for roasted green chile and it makes great rellenos. So I guess to answer your question, yes, there is a big difference in taste and heat level between the varieties, but Big Jim should give you what you need unless you want more heat. Enjoy :). There is no better smell in the world than roasting green chile :) Emily

Charlie, I didn't grow any of the NMSU varieties this year but have seeds and will grow several next year including the heritage varieties. I've been in the garden most of the morning. And I believe it is Kim's Colassal that is getting several large ones on them. For the last few years I've been growing mainly some chile types and selections from a grower/breeder from Fowler, CO. He wrote some papers and did some work in conjunction with CSU. They grow a lot of chiles along the Arkansas Valley from Pueblo east to Lamar. Driving down the road you smell one stand after another roasting them. Basically all chile varieties came from NM including the Anaheims. All I grew this year are open pollinated. I do save seeds. Have never had problems in the past but did plant a little closer this year and also planted flowers amongst the tomatoes so had more pollinators. So won't know the purity of what I save this year till after I grow them out next year. Both Colossal Kim and Kim's Colossal along with a Joe E Parker selection and a selection of the Pueblo chile are all from him. Again I will have to do some checking. Getting ready to go watch the KSU football game on TV. I think it is Colossal Kim(which is a stable cross with Big Jim) that is the mildest. I'm also growing one from a saved NM Chile and that is what I call it. I have a picture of it on my photobucket site. It isn't as big as some but very meaty and thick fleshed and most are what I call mild. I grew a Navajo type from a reservation also. I leave most of mine to turn colors unless I want one to eat or roast. The others just continue to grow unless they change colors then I pick them and either freeze, roast and freeze or hang to dry. And don't think I've tried any of the Navajo's yet. I grew a selection the Pueblo Chile for several years that was mild. When I return I will do some checking and try to list some names. Big Jim is ok but there are several available I like better. There are also some good hybrids. Next year I will grow the Kim's and maybe the NM and Navajo and then the rest will be from NMSU. And I can't remember if they are hybrids or op's. Will have to check. It is hard to judge heat for someone else. What has a hint of heat to me burns my BIL and his brother up. The link Dawn posted explains it very well. I can set and eat something and be sweating and my mouth still won't be just burning up. Another will be on fire and they won't never sweat as they don't eat them that long. I will list a few of what are considered mild ones when I return. Weather especially moisture also can determine the heat a variety has. One reason one year the same variety will seem hotter. Cooking and roasting a chile will make them milder. If they are hot they will still be hot but will moderate some. The types of chiles vary greatly. I remember and old NM grower who always said he could tell you on what side of US 66 a chile came from by looking at it. And in many cases the locale. I read an article I believe by NMSU recently that stated the same thing. Chiles vary is size and shape due to their uses and climate where they are grown along with local preferences. But like tomatoes growers tend to due selections when saving seeds so my Big Jim as an example may be hotter than that of another. So when I state a variety is mild it can depend on the source of the seeds along with the other variants I mentioned above how mild or hot yours will be. My suggestion is when you find one you like if it is an op just save seeds. Save enough so if a variety crosses one year you always have the true seeds to go back too. Jay