Susan Welsand, áká The Chili Woman sells products at the Bloomington Com-
munity Farmers’ Market, and at her greenhouse in southern Indiana. For many years she has been a judge in the Bloomingfoods and City of Bloomington Salsa Contest, an event that draws thousands of participants at the Farmers Market each August.

“Chiles are a wonderful crop, as delicious as they are beautiful,” she says. “There are over 3000 varieties, but few are available commercially. Saving heirloom vegetable seeds and helping preserve biogenetic diversity is an important part of my farming operation. My business is organic: free ranging chickens, bene?cial
weeds, and lady bugs provide insect control. My partner Terry Morgan’s sheep grace the fields with nature’s fertilizer. My main business is shipping plants, but Terry and I love to have people come to the greenhouse and visit with us.”