Chile-red or green, roasted or hung in ristras. The smell of roasting green chile signals the beginning of green chile harvest and the end of summer. Several years ago, we visited New Mexico and bought 90 lbs. of green chile. We roasted it ourselves and froze it. It's given us a taste of home and I'm just now using the last of it. Still good and delicious!
These are called ristras-an old method of drying chiles by stringing them together and hanging them up. Many New Mexico kitchens have one hanging up.
Apples! There are a number of apple orchards in the mountains of New Mexico. When we returned to live there for an 8 year period 30 years ago, we went to pick apples in the fall. They smell and taste so good because they are tree ripened. The town of Velarde, NM was established in 1598. (That's right, 1598!) The Velarde family still farms there and grows many things, among them fastastic apples! My husband worked with a member of the family and we enjoyed visiting Velarde to buy apples.
Hmmm. I think I want an apple now, and maybe I'll make something with green chile for dinner!
I had a friend who lived in NM for several years and would send me a ristra for Christmas. I loved the look of it hanging in my kitchen and loved using it though out the year for cooking.
ReplyDeleteGood memories!
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