Since the 1500s, chile has been cultivated in what we now know as the Southwestern United States; it has been a staple crop in the Arkansas Valley east of Pueblo for decades, if not centuries. Although its start in southern Colorado is murky, chile was well-established at Pueblo truck farms by the mid-1900s. Chile is a small part of Colorado’s agricultural industry but holds potential as a high-value specialty crop rooted in community culture.
The most common strain of Pueblo green chile was developed by Dr. Mike Bartolo in the late 1900s known as the Mosco chile. This single pepper plant has more heat and was selected from a crop of peppers grown from the bag of Pueblo mirasol seeds given to Dr. Michael Bartolo from his father. The Mosco chile, which he named after his Uncle Harry, became the predominant chile grown on the St. Charles Mesa near Pueblo, CO in Vineland and Avondale areas and along the Arkansas River in Otero County.
The Mosco (now called the Pueblo Chile) has a thicker flesh than most chile peppers. This allows it to be roasted, have the skin removed and still have more “meat” and texture left. It is also hot. The heat of the Mosco chile sets it apart from Hatch chile, rating 5,000 to 20,000 units on the Scoville scale, which is used to rate the pungency of chile peppers. Hatch chile rates at 500 to 1,000 units. The hot, dry summer days and cool nights, the rich soil on the St. Charles Mesa and in the Arkansas Valley, along with Colorado’s Rocky Mountain water, all contribute to a chile pepper bursting with flavor and consistent heat.
