There are so many traditions associated with Autumn that it has become my favorite season. Have you ever smelled roasting green chiles? Once you've experienced it, you will never forget it. And the city-wide aroma fills the air signaling the return of Autumn in New Mexico. People stand in lines with 40lb sacks of green chiles, waiting for their turn at the chile roaster. The chiles are taken home, peeled and frozen. Oh, my, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Chiles left to ripen and turn red are strung into bright ristras that are hung in homes to provide chile year round.
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| Green chiles await their turn in the roaster, with red chile ristras shown in the background. |
Autumn is the end of the year for me for it is the end of the growing season. What was planted in the spring, then nurtured over the summer is gathered with glee, especially if the kids have been involved. There are harvest festivals all over towns and cities. Horse drawn wagons full of hay bales haul giddy children in village parades. And farmers' markets booths overflow with vegetables and flowers.
