Hatch grower boasts world-record chile

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - Hatch farmer Jimmy Joe Lytle's mother holds the world record for the longest chile pepper.

But now her son is hoping to beat it with a pepper of lengthy proportions.

It measures about 15.5 inches, Lytle said, and is the "Big Jim" variety first developed by and named after his chile-pioneer father, who died in the `70s.

"We're in the process of recording it right now," he said. "It's not a real easy deal to record it in the record books; you have to go through a lot of red tape."

Lytle is seeking recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Hatch Mayor Judd Nordyke said the previous record was 13 inches.

Prior to the 15.5-inch pepper pod, "we found a couple running about 17," Lytle said. But those inadvertently got mixed in with the rest of the crop.

"We were picking them and found them," he said. "The guy pulled them into the bag, and we lost them. We're still looking."

Lytle said the longer-than-normal peppers are from a project he's been working on for several years to improve the older Big Jim variety. Length is one trait they're seeking, he said, but others include greater production and consistent pepper pods.

"We're growing it for the fresh market," he said. "The vendors like a big chile because it's more appealing to the customer."

The green chile harvest is in full swing. Lytle estimated about half of his crop has been pulled from the field. On Aug. 22, about 31 percent of New Mexico's crop was harvested, nearly 10 percent more than a week earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That's 10 percent behind a five-year average for the crop's progress for this time of year.

Despite farmers' battles with drought and extremely hot weather, the chile quality is "beautiful, absolutely gorgeous," Lytle said.

Nordyke said Lytle's father worked with Roy Nakayama, renowned in the county for his chile crop breeding work, in creating the variety of his namesake.

The long chile is notable not only because it's a record, but because the Lytles' attempt to create heftier pods helps improve the industry as a whole, Nordyke said.

"There's a bigger market for bigger and more meaty chiles," he said.

Lytle said he's hoping the verification of the long chile will take place at the Hatch Chile Festival, slated for the weekend of Sept. 3-4.

"We've invited Susana Martinez down, but I don't know if she's going to come down or not," he said.

Marcia Nordyke, the mayor's wife and head of publicity for the group running the chile festival, said this year's event is taking shape. An estimated 20,000 people are expected to attend over two days.

"We're up and running," she said. "We've got all our booth slots filled. It's looking like it's right at 100."

A highlight this year is that members of the armed forces who have their military ID will get in free, Marcia Nordyke said. She said the village has plenty of chile, though some have speculated there might be less because of drought or other problems.

"All of those are incorrect," she said. "Our roasters are ready to go."