by Kate Sanchez
New Mexico is popular for many reasons, one of the biggest being their world-renowned green chile. But while most people tend to think of Deming and Las Cruces as the state’s hot-spots, known for their Hatch Green Chile, Roosevelt County has something of their own to be proud of: Ledbetter Chile. 
Owned by Rick and Evelyn Ledbetter, Ledbetter Chile of Portales was established about 20 years ago. However, Rick has been farming in total for 44 years, something that was passed down from this father. What began as a commercial business for chile color extraction, soon become much more to the Ledbetters, and their popularity keeps growing around the area, even today. “I’ve learned a lot through the years”, Rick shares, “Farming isn’t easy and chile is more intense than a lot of crops, but it’s also more lucrative.” 
Green chile are planted from seed in mid-April of each year and are harvested mid-August. In fact, Rick says they will begin the picking process next week. Unlike much of today’s world, there is no machine using to pick the chile, all the work is done by hand. A slick exterior and firm chile is what Ledbetter’s four or five employees who pick are looking for when they harvest the mature plants. Workers will continue to pick until the first frost of the year. They also employ four or five people to roast the chile. 
While some sales come from on-site marketing, Rick says the Clovis and Portales Farmer’s Markets are some of the most fun and interesting ways to sell their roasted chile. “I thoroughly enjoy the famer’s markets and the fact that people come specifically for our chile. It’s something I thought I would never actually do, but it’s a lot of fun”, he shares. So much fun, that for the Ledbetters, when the time comes to retire, Rick says that he will still continue to sell their product at these locations. 
“It’s been an interesting ride and I continue to enjoy it”, Rick says with a laugh. And it’s an understatement to say that we are all looking forward to being part of that journey this fall, as we get to enjoy the fruits of their labor at Ledbetter Chile!
According to Rick, ” We will be selling at the Clovis Farmers Market on Tuesday’s beginning at 5:00 pm and Saturday mornings at 8 am and Portales Farmers Markets on Monday’s and Thursdays at 5 pm. We hope the Chile will be ready next week and will start selling them. People can check out Facebook page, Ledbetter Chile to be sure. We pick fresh for each market and sell four varieties, mild, medium, hot and extra hot.
