Moon and Stars vt

11/07/2025

Tomorrow morning join us for breakfast.

01/28/2025

Zapalote Chico

During the pandemic, my friend Ruth Fleischman who is a seed saver and one the first people I met when I moved to Vermont, wrote to me and told me she had grown a strain called Zapalote chico and that she wanted me to try it. She told me “Do your magic and let me know what you think”. I went and met up with her picked up the corn and that same night I cooked it and the next day I ground it. I knead it and shape it as an arepa put it on the skillet, cooked on one side then the other and then I tried it. When I tried it I knew right away that we had something really special, It took me back when I was a kid and the texture was so soft. What I look for in a grain is subtleness not an overpowering flavor but something that blends with everything with whatever you are cooking, like a vessel.
I wrote to her and told her the good news. I gave her some to try and since that day we’ve been breeding this corn. It’s been 3 years, and this is the first year we have enough to share with the community. Zapalote Chico is one of the first 19 land races, and according to some scientists it’s the most perfect plant on the planet. They base this idea on the genetics of the plant. ZC has 22 favorable genetic complexes. These are groups of genes that work to improve the plant in resilience, adaptability and drought resistance.
As part of our work to build a sustainable Food System We would like to share this corn with our community.
I’m going to start serving it in every form possible and see how people like it. In the holidays we made some tamales, and I thought they came out really good. I will have fresh masa for sale at the coop. I’m going to have fresh arepas at First Branch on Tuesdays with local organically grown eggs.

Available at the , and will be serving fresh ZC arepas If you would like to order fresh arepas, masa or empanadas feel free to reach out.
Enjoy this delicacy…
Thank you
Moon & Stars

12/13/2024

We want to invite everyone to a special brunch that celebrates the harvest of our heirloom-grown corn-Zapalote Chico.
We will be serving- arepas,tortillas, local eggs, pork belly, lomo saltado along with yucca and plantain.
This is a great opportunity to connect with our community while enjoying delicious, sustainable food- we’d love to share this meal with you.
Saturday (tomorrow) December 14th
10-2

09/09/2024

As our food service team makes every effort to incorporate more local food into our breakfasts and lunches we are very excited to announce that Nando Jaramillo of South Royalton's Moon & Stars, will be providing all of our schools with chips for nachos and his famous empanadas. Here Nando is pictured delivering the first load of chips to First Branch Middle School in Chelsea.

08/18/2024

07/15/2024

Friday night dance party. Yay thanks for the flyer.

06/22/2024

Hi everyone, I’m really excited about this event, I’ve been wanting to have Dj at the Pub and finally it manifested thanks to and Dartmouth LGBTQIA+ and Latine Employee Resource Networks. Hope to see you all.

04/18/2024

I found this, let me know what you think

A complex history of maize domestication arose from a secondary improvement center in the southwest Amazon.

04/16/2024

Thanks Vermont Law and Graduate School for sending this letter of support.

01/16/2024

Hi everyone, sorry about the late invite, but if you know me, it’s always kind of like this. Latin night happening this Saturday. We will have empanadas. Hope you can make it. in the decks. Cheers and Happy new year.

12/01/2023

Next Friday we’ll be having a Tamal-Mole workshop . Royalton Elem/High School at 3;15 pm. My friend Luis Martinez from Oaxaca will be leading the workshop. We’ll be using the Zapalote chico corn we grew this season. If you are not able to come but want to try these tamales feel free to reach out. We want the community to try this corn.

11/17/2023

Here is a little write up nhpr did on the project.

Nando Jaramillo grows heirloom corn in Vermont using regenerative farming practices. He uses the corn to make masa for arepas and empanadas, which he sells throughout Vermont's Upper Valley.