Open Fields- a description of the event and how to get invited. This year’s event will occur on September 29-30, which is the weekend AFTER the Houston Hot Sauce Festival.

Background: The Open Fields event was originally done to give away as much of my excess crop to fellow chileheads as could be salvaged after the first hard frost. The chiles generally only survive about 48 hours once they’ve been frosted. Weatherfolks were/are also notoriously inaccurate to say the least so there were several ‘false starts’- “frost predicted, plan on coming”; “oops- no frost, belay that”; “frost NOW predicted”; “oops- no frost”, etc, etc. This “y’all come git ‘em” notice was generally sent out on the old ChileHeads email group, one of the oldest internet gatherings of chileheads still in existence.

Arranging a short notice trip of some distance proved too difficult except for all but a very few die-hard Chile heads. Since those first few brave souls attended the event, I have since tried to pick a date that seemed convenient for folks but that also worked into my fire department vacation schedule. Picking a date ahead of time allowed folks to make their plans and upped the attendance dramatically. I also now plant this field strictly for the enjoyment of people attending the event, having moved the commercial fields quite a distance away. Early on, there were harvest restrictions as in “don’t pick that- I need those!”. There are no harvest restrictions on the chiles now as this field is planted entirely and strictly for your enjoyment.

Be aware though- the fields are also NOT MINE! I rent the ground and am therefore at the mercy of the conditions set forth by my landlord. These fields are in a remote location that is (mostly) unsupervised and easy to get to. There have been (non-chileheads) problems with vandalism in the past and so he is very touchy about who can and cannot attend. He *strictly* forbids me from advertising this locally (ie a 60 mile radius from Indy). He has had problems with folks ‘dropping in’ and helping themselves to the lots of other stuff that can be found on his property. Anyone he catches at the fields at any other time than the dates specified WILL BE ARRESTED for trespassing- telling him you were there looking for me will do you no good. He works 20 hour days at some times down there and at all hours of the day and night. Those of you that live close enough to ‘drop in’ I encourage you not to do this! He does not fool around with people he catches there. The landlord is a 3rd generation farmer whose farm market and business likely will not survive to see the 4th generation due to many reasons including land use pressure, governmental regulations, and the changing marketplace. This puts him in even less humor As if it could get much worse, the I-69 project will have a MAJOR impact on these fields in a few years. And, within the last couple of weeks, the main orchard in Indy has been sold out from under him (by his dad) and bull-dozed with a full crop still sitting on the trees. The farm market is still there for folks that were wanting to stop by & pick stuff up. It will remain in business but for how many more years, no one knows.

Having said that though, I am allowed to vouch for folks that live locally and want to attend. The invitation is extended only to those folks that follow the rules and directions and contact me in advance. It is limited only to the people I ’speak’ with and is not extended to friends, friends of friends, and your cousin’s uncles’ brothers’ dad unless pre-arranged with me. There are quite a number of Indy folks that do attend, especially on a ‘day trip’ basis.

This event is also FREE. F-R-E-E as in ‘free’. There is no cost for you to attend other than what it takes for you to get here & stay. NO entry fee, NO obligation to purchase, NO nothing. This is a strictly non-commercial event intended only for the enjoyment of all things chile. Help yourself to the chiles, enjoy the company of other folks, cook if you’d like to share your specialty with others (the food found here is beyond descriptions!) and have a good time. Folks assemble here (in previous years) from as far away as England to New Zealand, Canada to Argentina, and nearly all 50 states. There will likely be 100 to 150 people attend, depending on the weather. You may camp in the fields (primitive) or rent a hotel room & Indy or Franklin and have a 20 minute
drive to the fields.

There is also a hot sauce contest associated with this years’ event that will benefit http://www.StepUpForCharity.org. This is a contest that allows anyone (for a $10 to the charity) to enter as many (within reason) sauces as they’d like for a chance at a trophy and bragging rights. For those folks attending, one of the categories is ‘Best Fresh From the Fields” for sauces that are made on site. Details of the contest can be found on the ‘other blog’ at hotsauceblog.com

Etiquette:

#1 This is above all else, a friendly gathering whereby chileheads from all over the world can gather, camp if they wish (primitive), share food, share stories (lies…LOL), and generally have a good time. Alcohol is neither forbidden nor discouraged, but it is expected to be moderate. Drunken behaviour and/or rowdiness won’t be tolerated. I can absolutely guarantee that you do not want to spend the weekend in the Morgan County Lock-up with Billy Ray Bob and his toothless brother Bubba. We’re all supposed to be adults, even though most of us don’t act like it

#2 People will be there with widely varying tolerances for heat. This is not a ‘I can eat hotter than you can’ event. DO NOT be offended if someone politely declines to try your ‘flaming tongues of death habanero poppers’. Many of us there, myself included, are of the ‘moderate persuasion’. On the same note, please FEEL FREE to decline someone’s offer of ‘nuclear waste angel food cake’.

#3 There are neighbours to these fields. At a reasonable hour of the evening, I will expect things to quiet down a little. There are to be no fireworks, firecrackers, explosives, or noisemakers.

#4 This is the single busiest time of the year for my landlord. There will be a lot of traffic in and out of the fields as he brings in his
own crops. We MUST stay out of his way, not block the road or access to the barn.

Rules!! PLEASE TAKE NOTE!

#1 There is to be ABSOLUTELY NO picking of anything but chiles! I cannot stress this point strongly enough. I do not own anything else there and cannot give permission to harvest anything else. Even the apples that fall on the ground have uses and are not ‘waste’. Apple trees, which surround the fields, are VERY easily damaged! If it isn’t a chile, DON’T pick it. The landlord is extremely generous with us as far as his produce goes & will probably give us several goodies as it is. Please don’t ruin the relationship.

#2 You may absolutely NOT drive anywhere other than where I escort you or direct you. There are buried plastic irrigation lines all through the fields. Driving even a short distance off the road runs the risk of breaking a line. I worked MANY long hard hours in the 1970’s burying those lines with a pick and shovel, I sure don’t want to have to do them again

#3 Please pick only what you need and be careful not to damage the plants.

#4 Trash- we must pick up any and all trash. The only thing we may leave behind is trampled grass.

How to get invited:

If you’ve read this, you’re invited! Simple, eh? Now follow the directions:

Those wishing to attend must send me an email (jim@wildpepper.com) in late August/early September to receive the official invite and directions to the fields. Thanks and hope to see you all there! Happy to answer any questions that folks might have as they are posted here on the blog.

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