Flavors of New Mexico

At Heart of the Desert, we are proud to serve you award-winning wines and home-grown pistachios, but if you head over to our “Gourmet Foods” section, you will find a selection of other products that are near and dear to our hearts.

New Mexican flavors have a unique profile with many Hispanic and Native American influences. We strive to bring you the best of these flavors with our favorite products. Allow us to introduce you to some foods that make our home special!

Green Chile
Ah yes, the green chile -quite possibly the most well-known flavor in all of New Mexico. In fact, did you know that chiles are one of New Mexico’s state vegetables? New Mexico chile is a variety of chile pepper first grown in New Mexico. It was first cultivated by the Hispano and Pueblo people and dates back to the 1800s. This chile starts out green and turns red as it matures. Depending on when the pepper is harvested, it has a different flavor! As a green pepper, the chile flavor is described as sweet, spicy, smokey, and slightly garlicky. You can find green chiles in our Green Chile  Cheese Soup, Green Chile Stew, Green Chile Pistachios and our sweet and spicy Green Chile Marmalade. YUM!

Prickly Pear
Not quite your typical “pear” in the supermarket, prickly pear is a delicious, fruit-producing cactus! The cactus has flat, spiky pads that produce beautiful flowers, which then turn into delicious fruit. Amazingly, both the pads and fruit are edible! The fruit (also known as a pear or tuna) can range from pale yellow to deep magenta in color. It is soft, sweet, and has a variety of uses, including being made into jellies and margaritas! A word of caution, if you decide to travel to the southwest, be careful not to blindly pluck one of these delicious pears from the cactus. The fruits are armed with tiny spikes, which must be carefully removed before consumption! If you want to safely taste it for yourself, you must check out our Prickly Pear Cactus Honey, Jelly, and Cactus Syrup.

Anasazi Beans
The word “Anasazi” may sound familiar to you. This was the name commonly given to the Ancestral Puebloans who lived in the four corners region dating back to 130AD. These beans were one of the few crops cultivated by them. These beautiful beans not only stand out due to their burgundy and white coloration, but they also have a solid nutritional profile. They contain iron, potassium, fiber, and nontoxic lectins and are considered a cancer-fighting food! The best part? They also contain less than 1/3 of the gas-causing substance of other beans! Since they are not a common bean, they may be hard to locate in a typical grocery store. Luckily, you can pick up a bag of dry beans HERE!

Pecans
Did you know that pecans are the only tree nut native to North America? Historically Native Americans in the southern US and river valleys of Mexico depended on pecans as a readily available protein source. European settlers later began to cultivate the trees in the 1700s. Now the United States produces over 300 million pounds of pecans per year! Pecans grow in many places in the southern US, but New Mexican pecans of the Mesilla Valley are said to have a high quality and sweet taste unlike any other! Want to see for yourself? Try a bag of our fresh pecans! Or if you really want a sweet treat, try our candy-coated pecans with a delicious and creamy yogurt coating!

We are so proud to help bring the amazing flavors of our home state to our patrons across the country! If you have any questions about our products, don’t hesitate to contact us! Also, be sure to head over to our SHOP to browse our excellent selection of wine, pistachios, popcorn, and other gourmet foods.

Heart of the Desert is a working pistachio ranch and vineyard with four retail establishments in New Mexico. They are best known for their farm fresh pistachios and Award-Winning New Mexico wines. Each store offers wine and pistachio tastings. They offer worldwide shipping and produce attractive gourmet baskets that make great corporate and family gifts. The main store, on the ranch in Alamogordo, offers farm tours that showcases how pistachios are grown and processed as well as a stunning Tuscany themed patio that overlooks the groves and is available for weddings, private parties or enjoying a relaxing glass of wine.

References:
http://diazfarms.com/history-of-new-mexico-green-chile/
https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1800-2019.pdf
https://www.anasazibeans.com
prickhttps://uspecans.org/history-of-pecans