Today I stopped by a chile stand in Albuquerque that I had seen earlier in the week, and picked up a [...]]]> There’s a certain smell in the air. It’s Fall in New Mexico and everyone is in a big hurry to roast up all the chile peppers… they freeze them to use year ’round.

Today I stopped by a chile stand in Albuquerque that I had seen earlier in the week, and picked up a couple of ristras (photos, left) to hang on the front of my house. I’ll need to install some brackets to hang them, so it will be a while before I get those pictures posted. Although the chiles are in fact edible, chile ristras are very often used decoratively, especially hanging at the entrance of your home to welcome visitors. I posted a few more pictures from my Saturday chile excursion outing online, check ‘em out if you like.

New Mexico leads the nation in production of chiles, and New Mexicans take their chiles seriously. It’s even the state question: Red or Green? if your ask for Christmas you’ll get half and half– a nice way to try both.

New Mexicans also have fun with their chiles… check out this video report from the State Fair: