Ristras

Strands of fresh red chile peppers hang from the corners of the front portal, flanking the front door. These are ristras, or strings, and every home in Santa Fe has them decorating entranceways.

Originally ristras were strung together and hung to dry in the kitchen as the pepper harvest came in. Having chiles so convenient made cooking easy when every meal called for dried chiles. Now they are really just decorative.

In fact most are waxed now, to preserve the color and keep them attractive. The ones I just hung are not waxed, they are edible and fresh. So they won't last as long. Eventually they do dry out completely, though, and the ones I hung two years ago were browned and getting crispy.

You can see the difference between the old ones I took down and the new ones I just bought. It was certainly time for a refresh.

When we first arrived in Santa Fe I thought ristras were overused and a cliche. Who wanted deteriorating vegetables hanging from the front porch? They were everywhere and shouted "folk decor" from every house. Too cute, too expected.

But my eye got accustomed and now I think a doorway looks bare without strings of red chile peppers hanging in it. They are background now, not pretension, the same way metal door knockers were a staple of Colonial entranceways back in New England. Comforting to see, expected and needed in order to properly welcome someone.

So . . . welcome to my front porch. I have fresh chiles.