Hummingbird Hues

09/04/2026

🌶️ Behind the scenes at Hummingbird Hues today!

​Spent the day at my sewing machine crafting custom tabletop runners and quilted shelf toppers for our display tiers!

​Many of you know me for the handmade jewelry and the super-hot sauces, but standard craft roots run deep in my family. I grew up in a very creative household learning crochet, knitting, and tatting from my grandmothers—but quilting is hands-down my absolute favorite. Creating with fabric is one of my biggest passions, so being able to blend fiber art into our market setup makes me so happy!

​I am so stoked with how these turned out. I can't wait to get to the market tomorrow, load up these tiers with all our hot sauces and spicy jellies, and finally see the whole setup come together!

​Who’s coming out to see us tomorrow? 🌶️✨

08/28/2026

🌶️ Fresh Hatch Chiles at the Cortez Farmers Market Tomorrow! 🌶️

​I’ve got 12 generous 3-lb bags packed up and ready to go for tomorrow’s market! Ill have mostly green with just a few red chile bags.

​Every bag comes with a step-by-step guide showing you just how easy it is to roast, peel, and preserve your chiles at home! 📜🔥

​With only 12 bags available, these are going to go super fast—be sure to come by early to grab yours before they’re gone!

​📍 Cortez Farmers Market 7-12 Kiva parking lot

⏰ Tomorrow morning! See you there!

08/27/2026

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​The entire yard smells absolutely incredible right now! I’ve been hard at work roasting, steaming, peeling, and prepping a farmer's bushel of both red and green hot Hatch peppers to get them ready for mincing and freezing.

​As much as I love that freshly roasted chile aroma, I’m quickly realizing I might be a little in over my head with the sheer volume of peppers taking over my kitchen.

​To save my freezer space (and my sanity), I’ll be bringing about a bushel with me to the Cortez Farmers Market this weekend to offload some! If you want to grab some hot Hatch peppers for your own kitchen, Saturday’s the day. Come see me before they're gone!

08/24/2026

Who actually knows how big a burlap sack for a true farmer’s bushel really is?!

Because ordering two farmer’s bushels of authentic Hatch green chilies straight from New Mexico is one thing, but seeing them sit on the floor in person is an entire reality check!

​I am beyond ecstatic to have these gorgeous peppers in hand, but I was completely caught off guard by the sheer, magnificent size of a true farmer’s bushel. Photos just don't do it justice. For scale, my little four-legged assistant dutifully sat down next to them, looking equally astonished by the giant burlap towers taking over the room!

​The moment they came through the door, that crisp, earthy, unmistakable fresh pepper aroma filled the room. There is nothing quite like the smell of authentic Hatch chilies before they even hit the flames—it immediately sets off a craving for that smoky, rich Southwest flavor. Knowing these were harvested down in New Mexico and brought straight to us makes every single chili in those massive sacks feel like a prize.

​We have a serious amount of processing ahead of us.

There is something so deeply satisfying about working with a haul this fresh, abundant, and authentic. The kitchen is about to smell incredible, the roaster is going to be working overtime, and every bit of effort is going to be worth it.

​Now I need to know from my fellow green chile lovers: when you come home with a haul this huge, what is the very first thing on your menu?

08/13/2026

If your screen could carry a scent, you’d be hit with the most incredible, fiery wave right now! 🥵🔥

​Just unboxed this stunning shipment of super-hots from Sh**un Peppers , and the aroma alone is absolute perfection. These beauties are fresh, incredibly potent, and packed with so much flavor.

​I am so grateful to work with such an amazing supplier who can deliver top-tier quality when it counts. Time to get these prepped, mixed, and ready to turn into the next batch of Hummingbird Hues magic!
Let's heat things up. 🌶️✨

08/06/2026

When that severe summer storm brought hail and wind that damaged my garden beds late this July, I wasn't sure what the rest of the season would look like. But if there’s a silver lining to the destruction, it’s been the amazing opportunity to connect with other incredible growers across the states.

​I am absolutely thrilled with this massive order from Sh**un Peppers ! Their customer service was completely top-tier, and I am blown away by the generous weight and the pristine quality of these pods.

Being able to support their business while they help keep Hummingbird Hues fully supplied for my small-batch hot sauces and jellies is exactly what this community is all about.

​I cannot wait to taste these and let the burn begin. Bring on the heat! 🔥🌶️🤟🤟

07/26/2026

We just wrapped up another awesome year at Mancos Days! 🎉

​I didn't manage to snap a lot of pictures this weekend, but that's only because we were wonderfully busy and got to connect with so many wonderful people. Jaxon and Jordyn had an absolute blast and got a bunch of face painting done— A huge thank you to Stacie Marie for the incredible work on the kids. 🎨

​I’m also sharing a picture of a very special, impromptu piece I made this weekend. It’s a wolf pendant with a turquoise background that holds a loved one’s ashes. Being able to create this memorial piece was super amazing and such a deeply special experience for me to work on. 🐺💙

​Getting to see all the people, watching the baseball games, enjoying the food, and attending the Sunday church service all make it such a fantastic time. Thank you to everyone who made it so great!

07/22/2026

Walking through the garden this morning to take a real look at the damage was a pretty tough pill to swallow. Most of the plants were hit so hard by the massive hail that I’m honestly not sure they're going to recover.
You can even see the impact marks on the birdhouse gourds.

Nearly eight months of growing these peppers with high hopes for the season—mixing the perfect fertilizers, clipping all the suckers, and pouring so much attention into every detail—makes it a heavy blow, and I am definitely not looking forward to the cleanup waiting for me.

​The wind was just as wild, bending our flagpole and even picking up our trampoline, carrying it three houses down into a neighbor's yard! Huge thanks to them for being so understanding and kind; we got the completely obliterated trampoline disassembled yesterday and loaded into the back of the truck.

​On the bright side, I’m glad I have a doctor’s appointment in Durango today so I can get a little bit of breathing room and remove myself from the situation for a bit.

More importantly, I'm trying to stay positive and feel deeply thankful that nobody was hurt. The chickens are fine, it’s just monetary and property damage at this point, and while it's a bit of a hit to the ego, the ones that matter are safe. We'll tackle this tough situation together as a team and a family.

​I also want to send a huge shout-out to everybody that sent messages and commented with so much love, support, and understanding. It really makes it a lot easier to get through a hard moment when I know I've got amazing people surrounding me, supporting me, and cheering me on.

07/22/2026

Thirty minutes of intense rain and hail, and just like that... devastation.

​Our high-altitude growing season is already short enough as it is, and seeing months of daily care, planting, and nurturing shredded in half hurts. Between the weather and the clock ticking on our frost dates, I honestly don't know how the garden—or I—am going to recover from this one. Feeling completely defeated today. 💔🌧️😭

07/20/2026