NuMex Joe E. Parker

Rich, full-bodied earthy flavor with mild heat; red pods are sweeter.

The NuMex Joe E. Parker is a standout New Mexican chile cultivar developed at New Mexico State University. It produces long, tapered pods 6 to 8 inches long and 1.5 to 2 inches wide with thick, meaty walls and few seeds. Fruits start vibrant green and ripen to deep red, delivering a mild heat of 500 to 2,500 Scoville Heat Units with an average around 800 SHU. Flavor is rich and earthy with no off-notes; red pods turn sweeter. Plants are highly productive, growing 24 to 30 inches tall with strong branching for heavy yields. Bred as an improvement on New Mexico 6-4 for thicker walls, higher green and red yields, and dual-purpose use. Excellent for roasting, chiles rellenos, canning whole, grilling, sauces, and fresh use in green chile recipes. Very reliable for home gardeners in the Southwest.

The NuMex Joe E. Parker chile was developed at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, by plant breeder Paul W. Bosland and team and released in 1990. It originated from a single-plant selection within an open-pollinated population of the 'New Mexico 6-4' variety. The cultivar was named in honor of Joe E. Parker, a 1950 NMSU graduate and longtime collaborator with the chile breeding program who assisted in its evaluation. It was bred for improved traits including thicker fruit walls, higher yields, greater uniformity, and dual-purpose use for both green and red chiles.