All over New Mexico and in other parts of the Southwest, chile harvest is heralded by the pungent and unmistakable aroma of roasting chiles—at farmers’ markets, by the side of the road, in parking lots, and on chile farms. The first moment you get a whiff of that fragrance is a pivotal time of year, for it signals the start of a season that has every bit as much buzz and beauty to it as grape crush in northern California or apple gathering in New England.

The harvest begins in late August, when green chiles are first picked, and it continues as the chiles ripen to red through mid October, ending with the first freeze.