Wiktionary
n. An arrangement of chili pepper pods (or sometimes garlic) to aid drying and sometimes to serve as a decoration.
Wikipedia
thumb|right|200px|A ristra drying. A ristra is an arrangement of drying chili pepper pods. Ristras historically served as a functional system of drying chile for later consumption. Today, ristras are commonly used as a trademark of decorative design in the state of New Mexico, however, many households still use ristras as a means to dry and procure red chile.
Garlic can also be arranged into a ristra for drying and curing after the bulbs have matured and the leaves have died away.12
Usage examples of "ristra".
There were ristras of dried fruit and peppers and clusters of tinware that hung like chimes and there were hogskins filled with pulque that swung from the beams like bloated swine in a knacker's yard.