Pop a Pistachio: New Mexico’s Other Tasty Treat

George And Marianne

Schweers wanted to return to their agriculture roots after a career in the Air Force that culminated at Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo. When 400 seedling pistachio trees, the first planted in New Mexico, came up for sale, the couple thought a perfect opportunity had presented itself. Neighbors thought the Schweers were, well, nuts.

The Schweers had done their homework and found that the Tularosa Basin in South Central New Mexico had a climate very similar to the pistachio-growing regions of Iran and Turkey. It was a natural desert crop to add to the agricultural scene. Ancient legends from the Middle East allude to the mystique of the tasty nut being associated with romance and royalty. So, besides being tasty and heart healthy, it is fun! One of the legends is that young lovers can walk through the groves holding hands, and if they listen carefully and hear the nut shells popping open, theirs is indeed true love. Supposedly, the Queen of Persia (Iran) believed pistachios were an aphrodisiac and kept them as treasure in her storehouses.

At 49 years old, Eagle Ranch contains New Mexico’s oldest and largest-producing groves, with more than 13,000 trees. Totally self- contained, it is a fully integrated agri-business, growing, processing, packaging and marketing its products to both wholesale and retail customers. All the farm products are sold under its familiar trade name, “Heart of the Desert”.

The Schweers’ son, Gordon, developed the original chile-flavored pistachios. The farm now boasts nine flavors. The family began a vineyard in 2002 and now has 24,000 grapevines in seven varietals. Chardonnay, cabernet, zinfandel, shiraz, riesling, malvasia bianca, and gewurztraminer make a wide range of wines possible.

Popcorn and pistachios continue to be a popular snack mix. Three distinct flavors—Pistachio Caramel; Green Chile Pistachio Caramel; and Red Chile Pistachio Caramel satisfy that famous New Mexico question….."Red or Green?" Both, of course! All are produced in the popcorn factory on the farm.

Heart of the Desert Pistachios and Wines ships its farm-fresh products worldwide, selling them by mail order and online. There also are four store locations: the primary store on the farm beside Hwy 54/70, north of Alamogordo; Heart of the Desert on the plaza in Old Mesilla; Eagle Ranch Mercantile in the lobby of the Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces; and The Cork & Kettle in Ruidoso. Tours of the farm are fun and free, and wine tasting is delightful at all four locations.