The scent of chile peppers roasting marks the fall harvest on the farmlands east of Pueblo. The Pueblo chile pepper is a huge part of the culture and cuisine in southern Colorado. It’s also the critical ingredient in green chile, a local specialty. The President got a taste of this local favorite, when he campaigned in Pueblo in August. He said, “I got to admit that we’re saving some to take back to the White House. So I’m going to work with the White House chefs to see if we can figure out some of the secrets here.” Pueblo celebrates its famous peppers with the annual Chile and Frijoles Festival, which starts today. Ryan Warner speaks with Mike Bartolo, who grew up on a farm outside of Pueblo and now supervises CSU’s agriculture research center there.
Listen to Pueblo Chile Season’s Smoking Hot reported and produced by Shanna Lewis for Colorado Matters.
Shanna Lewis - Radio Journalist, Photographer 