Billings’ Inaugural Pepper Festival Sounds Like A Spicy Good Time

I've noticed that when most Montanans think of chili, they think of red chili, almost always with beans. I was the same way until I moved to Denver for a couple of years (circa 2000 - 2002) and discovered the pure awesomeness of roasted green chili.

My girlfriend at the time had spent several years in Colorado Springs, and she was always raving about Hatch green chili. To be honest, I was skeptical. It looks a lot different than the chili I was used to. "No, you HAVE to try it," she said.

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Using a tortilla as a scoop, I tentatively tasted that first bite of pork green chili, a stew-like recipe with fire-roasted green chilis, spices, and tender pork pieces, and I was sold.

In Colorado, they offer green chili on just about everything. At restaurants, you'll find it on scrambled eggs, hamburgers, smothered on burritos, or simply in a bowl.

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Hatch green chilis come from New Mexico.

They look a lot like a plain old Anaheim chili, but they're uniquely different. Hatch green chilis are typically not as spicy as a jalapeño, although some are.

Celebrate all things pepper at Billings' first-ever Pepper Festival.

"Taste the Fall, Feel the Fire" organizers at Garden Avenue Greenhouse said in a social media post promoting the event. The inaugural Pepper Festival will be held on Saturday, September 20th, from 10 am to 6 pm at the greenhouse at 219 Garden Avenue.

They're bringing pallets of Hatch green chili directly from New Mexico to Billings for the event. Attendees can enjoy food trucks, refreshing drinks, live music, and the opportunity to purchase roasted-on-site or unroasted green chilis by the pound, half bushel, or bushel.

Green chili lovers in Billings won't want to miss this chance to stock their freezer with these delightful peppers.