Santa Fe Seasonal Food: Chile Harvest and Beyond

What is in season in Santa Fe, and what to order when the market changes.

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Spring

Lamb: Locally raised New Mexico lamb peaks in spring; menus at Atrisco, Restaurant Martin and Maria's lean into rack and shoulder.
Asparagus and ramps: The first farmers market produce of the year, available at Saturday market stalls April through May.
Pueblo blue corn: in 2025's harvest stays through spring on tortilla and pancake menus at Plaza Cafe and Cafe Pasqual's.

Hatch and Chimayo green chile (early): Late-July first-crop green chile appears at the Saturday Farmers Market; the smell of roasting fills the Railyard from mid-August.
New Mexico melons: Pecos and Mesilla melons fill the market from late July; eat one halved with lime at the picnic tables.
Squash blossoms: Used in quesadillas and stuffed-with-cheese plates at Atrisco and Cafe Pasqual's; market vendors carry them June through August.

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Hatch green chile harvest: August through September is the city's true high season; chile roasters smoke at the markets, restaurants change every plate to reflect the crop.
Chimayo red chile (dried): October the Chimayo crop dries on ristras; ground red chile from this season feeds Santa Fe sauces all year.
Posole corn: Dried hominy corn for posole appears at the Saturday market through October; soup is a Christmas Eve tradition.
Pinon (pine nuts): Wild-foraged pinon, gathered in good years across Northern New Mexico forests, surfaces at autumn markets and in atole.

Biscochitos: Anise-and-lard New Mexico state cookie, baked in mass at every bakery from Thanksgiving through Three Kings Day; Dolina and Sage Bakehouse run the canonical versions.
Posole and tamales: Christmas Eve in Santa Fe is a posole-and-tamale meal; family rooms swap dozens, restaurants run holiday specials at La Choza and Tomasita's.
Atole: Blue corn meal porridge, traditionally a winter morning drink; Pueblo-influenced restaurants serve it through January.