Chiles!

I spotted the season's first chiles at the Queen Anne Farmers' Market yesterday. These are Anaheims, and I hear there will be jalapenos next week.

For me chiles are the sign that high summer has arrived. Their season starts slowly, with a couple of varieties, and by mid-September Alvarez Farms will have dozens of shapes and sizes in a whole spectrum of colors.

We tend to think of chiles mainly as vehicles for heat, but they have plenty of flavor besides their spiciness. I like my food hot, but it only takes a few hot chiles to make a dish super spicy, so I like to use a range of mild ones along with the hot for added flavor.

The Aztecs refrained from eating chiles on religious fast days, just as medieval Europeans avoided meat on certain days of the year. They were that important.