Johnsons's Garden Centers Text File document - copyright 2003 
PDF file available at http://www.johnsonsgarden.com/newsletter/vegetableherb.html

Get Your Chile Fix Here
September/October 2003
Carolyn Utter, Editor

    Are you a chilehead? Having prepared my first pot of chili in early
August this year puts me in that category, don't you think? What else am
I to do with an abundance of fresh tomatoes and chile from the garden?

    Now you can be a chilehead, too. All you need is an intense love for
the flavor of roasted green chile in all sorts of Southwestern or
Tex-Mex dishes, sauces, etc. Then stop by Johnson's Garden Centers for
fresh roasted chile peppers from Hatch, New Mexico, the green chile
capital of the world!

    Chileheads from far and wide travel to New Mexico in the fall each
year to pick up their annual supply of freshly roasted green chile
peppers. At Johnson's, we make the road trip for you! Getting the
peppers to Wichita from Hatch each year has been a labor of love. The
15-hour trips (one way!); driving home at night to protect the peppers
from scorching heat; and the inevitable vehicle break down at some point
during the trip have all certainly made us think twice about continuing
this fall tradition. But true chileheads don't let such things get in
the way of their capsaicin fix.

    If you're a chilehead, too, stop by soon to pick up your supply of
roasted chile ranging from mild, medium, hot to EXTRA HOT (new this
year) depending on your pepper tolerance. Peppers are available in
quantities of small, medium and large.

    If you'd like to become a chilehead, just stop by to catch a whiff
of that mellow aroma as the chile peppers crackle, pop, blister and
tumble over an open flame. You'll be salivating for those smoky
delicacies in no time. We'll be roastin' chile at Johnson's this fall
until the supply of fresh chile peppers runs dry, so stop by soon to get
yours ... and get ready for some cookin'!


Chilehead Glossary
    Capsaicin--The chemical in chile peppers that produces a burning
                   sensation in your mouth and signals the release of 
                   natural painrelievers, endorphins.

    Chile--Pungent capsaicin peppers that vary from mild to hot.

    Chile Fix--One's daily dose of the addictive chile pepper.

    Chilehead--Chile connoisseurs who crave the pepper's flavor and heat.

    Chili--The soup made from beef, tomatoes, chile peppers and spices.

    Roasted Chile--Green chile peppers that are placed in a big 
                   rotating drum and then roasted and tumbled over an 
                   open flame. This gives the peppers a wonderful smoky 
                   flavor and makes it easier to remove the skin.