Saving the Native New Mexican Chiles

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Saving the Native New Mexican Chiles

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Heirloom Land Race VarietyI’m very interested in New Mexico land race chiles–those heirloom varieties that have been grown in the same fields for hundreds of years. So, I’m pleased to present this article by Monique I. Cuvelier. She writes: “Any museum curator worth his weight in Roman coins would choke at the thought of throwing away a 400-year-old artifact. Yet one of America’s most precious pieces of heritage is at risk of vanishing off the face of the Earth. In the mountain valleys of northern New Mexico, direct descendants from some of the first chile peppers brought to the United States are amazingly still alive. The crops emerge from the ground like a perfectly preserved Pompeii. But they are starting to die out.” Read the entire article, “Saving the Native New Mexican Chiles” here.