Balloon Fiesta 2009 - Prelude

We arrived in Albuquerque for the Fiesta a few days early as usual. We were a little surprised to find that we were the first ones to get parked in the area along the open field that we like. This field is about two miles south of the launch area but there is a free shuttle to take us there and back. We like it because with normal winds the balloons come right over us and often land here. Others like it also and it will fill up by the weekend.

A few miles west of the balloon fiesta grounds there is a neat little town called Corrales, which is the Spanish word for corrals. It is horse country and there are still a lot of homes with horses there. As part of their Fall Harvest Festival the residents and businesses decorate the streets with fanciful scarecrows.

A farm market in the town sells locally grown produce including chili peppers in varieties ranging from mild to super hot.

They are sold by the bunch, bushel basket and sack full. We do not have much room in our RV but we bought 10 pounds of a mild green variety and had them roasted in this propane-fired basket. Roasting peppers throw off a nice aroma but the really hot ones can take your breath away.

Back at the RV we peeled the skins off, which is pretty easy after the roasting process. Joani then deseeded and diced them, and packaged them for the freezer. We are looking forward to many chili-spiced meals when we get them home.

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