Hatch, Anaheim and Fresno, probably others as well, aare pretty much the same plant. IME Anaheim are the mildest. Hatch, like shishito and a number of other peppers, run the gamut from almost no heat to blazing, most being somewhere in between. They do have a way to grade them and they're often sold as either mild or hot, but there's still a huge variation. I find Hatch to be more floral and less acidic than Anaheim, whatever the heat level. You're never going to be able to match that particular Hatch flavor, but in any recipe that calls for Hatch, it'll be just as good with Anaheim, just slightly different.

You can adjust the heat level to taste no matter which base pepper you're using. For spicier, either add a hotter pepper, as you mentioned, or dry chili or chili sauce. Make sure to give the flavor time to develop after you've added some. It takes 5-10 minutes--longer if you're using fresh--for the heat to come forward, and you don't want to overdo it.

Actually, you might try a little habanero if you're going spicy. It's not the same as Hatch, but it also has floral sweetness.

I love hatch chilis. The local grocery store advertised 'first of the season' hatch chilis for .99 a lb. They didn't come in, and NEVER did. I was not happy. Front page of their flyer and everything. I was not happy.

oh, someone screwed up.

oh, really?

Hee Hee!! They came to my town!! and I made 2 batches of pepper jelly out of them.....delicious!!..Fareway had loads!

Years ago some fella traveling took some mild chilis home from NewMexico to Anaheim (or seeds maybe). They grew well, so off to market and distributed, coined 'Aneheim'. A large mild chili.

Same chili grown in the Hatch Valley. Now bred for various heat levels. The climate in the Hatch valley is so well suited for these peppers, you will hear that nothing else compares.

1904-----------mild

Joe Parker--medium

Big Jim-------medium hot

Lumbre-------x-hot

Many other varieties grown in the Hatch area.

Like any gardener looking for the best variety for their climate be it a tomato, pepper, squash, etc....I can't grow them so I order them every year from the HatchChiliStore. 10 pounds. Big Jim. So worth it.

My best variety to grow is Baby Aji Amarillo from FredHempel. ArtisanSeeds. He sent me some seed to try a few years ago and they are prolific here. Spicy, not too much. Tiny, great flavor like a habanero.

I can get Hatch chilis in NY but not nearly as fresh as what is delivered to my door. And I can choose the heat level/variety.

A supermarket in my area that touts offering several heat levels of Hatch, displays them right next to each other. Customers tend to mix them up; they appear identical. I got tired of the heat lotto and stopped purchasing them.

I have grown Hatch, Anaheim and Fresno all at the same time and they are not the same. Fresno is like a big jalapeno and hot; Anahiem is more blocky and mild hot; the Hatch were long and skinny and the heat varied from pleasantly hot to HOT! I guess I'd add a jalapeno if you needed more heat... or a Habanero.

I haven't grown Hatch. But I have grown Anaheim, Fresno, and Big Jim. And Jalapenos.. I'm into seasoning peppers more than serious hots or sweets.

For me they can be similar, but do have differing fruiting and heat.. and flavor. And there's a difference for me in how I use them too. I tend to prefer my Anaheims and Jalapenos green, and like Fresno's and Big Jims better red.

I'm trying Shishito for the first time this year. It was a freebie plant so I figured why not? Did up the first couple green pickings for a jar of pickled peppers and a jar of dried peppers. Tomorrow will be trying them out fresh for the first time.