Heat Wave

It’s hot in the city — and it’s about to get hotter. Labor Day is the traditional kickoff to green chile season in Colorado and New Mexico, when vendors offering up to two dozen varieties line up along Federal Boulevard and other west Denver streets, roasting and selling their aromatic wares from makeshift stands and parking lots.

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More About

• Colorado Free University
• Anita Edge
• Labor Day

But what do you do once you have your bag full of roasted, peppery goodness? It’s a query Anita Edge, a chile expert and proprietor of www.denvergreenchile.com, gets all the time, along with other rookie questions like “Can I eat the skins?” To pass along her know-how to beginners and experts who need new inspiration, Edge will teach a series of Fresh Roasted Green Chile classes through Colorado Free University.

The first one will take place at the Chile Guys store at Olde Glory Fireworks, 5501 Federal Boulevard, where students will sample seven kinds of fresh-roasted chiles as well as dishes that Edge will prepare. They’ll learn the differences among varieties and just how hot they can handle it, along with techniques for peeling, seeding, storing and freezing the chiles so they last all winter long. Students can also buy chiles to practice with at home.

The first class runs today from 10 a.m. to noon, with two others scheduled for September 6 and October 4; each class is $40 for CFU members and $49 for non-members, along with an optional $20-plus for a bushel of chiles. For more information, log on to Edge’s website or www.freeu.com.
Sat., Aug. 23, 10 a.m.-noon; Sat., Sept. 27, 12:45-4 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 1, 12:45-4 p.m., 2008