Name That Pizza Contest - Milkweed Mercantile at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage

Fresh spinach, fresh mozzarella, and fresh waitresses 32 kinds of craft beer!

Here at the Milkweed Mercantile at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, we're getting semi-famous for our pizza, served every Thursday (except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. We serve homemade thin-crust Neopolitan-style pizza. The mozzarella and feta cheese are made here at Dancing Rabbit from local organic milk. We offer a variety of toppings, which double in the summer during gardening season. We think our pizza is pretty darned good, and so do our customers. Quantities are limited so reservations are highly recommended (660-883-5522).

I was told when I arrived to the ecovillage that I should try pizza night at the Milkweed Mercantile, that it was better than NYC pizza (my home town) and I didn't believe it. I finally experienced it and it is seriously amazing pizza. I don't think I can find crust light this- thin and flaky. The toppings were also done to perfect proportion. This will go down as one of my top 5 lifetime pizza experiences. 

~Lena, NYC

To celebrate our joy of pizza we're having a contest. 
The winners get....(drum roll please)...PIZZA!

THE CONTEST
1. Create a pizza from the toppings listed below, and give the pizza a name.
2. Prize: a gift certificate for one Milkweed Mercantile pizza AND your pizza creation will go on our menu. You will become famous for being a creative genius and most likely your life will change immensely. You will get lots of "likes" on Facebook, and your name will become a household word, synonymous with "good taste," "elegance," and "anchovies."

 One of the judges demonstrating her pizza tasting technique.

3. You may enter as many pizzas as you wish.
4. The object is to create a DELICIOUS pizza with a clever name.
5. Points will be awarded as follows:
    Each judge* will evaluate pizzas independently, and all evaluations will be combined for a total score.
    Each judge may award up to 25 points.

   25 points = perfection.

• Up to 5 points awarded for flavor combination
• Up to 5 points awarded for cleverness of the name
• Up to 5 points awarded for how name fits the toppings 
• Up to 5 points awarded if we actually want to eat the pizza
• Up to 5 points awarded at judges' discretion as bonus points 

 
RULES:
1. To submit entries: leave a comment below OR leave a comment on the accompanying Facebook post.
2. Deadline: All entries must be submitted by midnight on Monday, March 3, 2014.
3. Winners will be announced Friday, March 7, 2014
4. We are not responsible for any lost entries. Blame Bill Gates.
5. Number of winners: Judges may award as many winning combinations as they wish. We're keeping our fingers crossed for lots of great entries!
6.  Have fun!


All pizzas come with our own special tomato sauce (organic crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt)

Meat/Fish toppings:
La Quercia Prosciutto 
Applegate Pepperoni
Italian Sausage
Anchovies

Other stuff
Dan’s Feta Cheese
Egg, local, cage-free
Ranch Dipping Sauce (made here at the Mercantile)


Vegetable Toppings
Smoked Jalapenos from Blue Heron Orchards
Pickled Jalepenos from Mrs. Milkweed’s Kitchen
Fresh Spinach
Red and Green Bell Peppers (from local farms when in season)
Black Olives
Kalamata Olives
Green Olives
Raw Red Onions
Caramelized Yellow Onions
Button Mushrooms
Morel Mushrooms (in season)
Shitake Mushrooms (in season)
Corn, Organic non-GMO
Sauerkraut
Spinach, fresh (from local farms when in season)
Pineapple
Capers
Sundried Tomatoes
Garlic Slices, fresh (from local farms when in season)
Fresh Basil (in season)
Pesto (in season)





* JUDGES
Alline, Top Banana, Milkweed Mercantile
Kurt, The Guy Who Does Everything Else, Milkweed Mercantile
Nik, Minister of Pies, Milkweed Mercantile
Katherine, Vice President, Pizza Division
Mae, Vice President, Dessert Quality Assurance



Ready, set, GO! You have until midnight on March 3rd!

Choosing our Beer: The Milkweed Mercantile at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage

Today I'm taking a break from heavy topics - like the politics of red states and renewable energy - and focusing on one of the more enjoyable aspects of having a cafe. (Tomorrow I'm happily picking up the subject of feminism and men who want to refuse women the right to choose...) Until then, lets talk BEER!

At any given time we carry around 30 varieties of beer at the Milkweed Mercantile. While our first choice would be to sell beer that is brewed here at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, none of the brewers here have yet obtained a microbrewer’s license. This means that it is not legal for us to sell any homebrews here. In the meantime, we wait impatiently.

In addition to carrying local micro-brews, we looking foreward to having beer on draft. With our wind turbine up and running we now have a consistent power supply. We’re hoping to switch from bottles to taps by fall 2012. Cross your fingers!

But back to the topic at hand. Like everything at the Milkweed Mercantile, we pay close attention to the brands we carry. The criteria we use for beers served at the Mercantile are:

1. Must be local, organic, and/or somehow eco-groovy - solar or wind powered, community minded, socially responsible, or something worth supporting
2. Must taste good, at least to some of our customers
3. Must be available from one of our distributors (this is the trickiest one!)

Below is a list of (most of) the beers we currently serve, and why:

New Belgium Brewery, located in Colorado, is an impressive organization. Their web info on sustainability goes on for pages – they really get it. Plus they are big supporters of bicycling, which is near and dear to the hearts of all Dancing Rabbits, whether they drink or not. Even better, folks here love New Belgium’s brews.
We carry New Belgium Fat Tire, Abbey, Ranger, 1554, Trippel, Organic Mothership Wit, plus seasonal varieties.

Bell’s Beer is located in Kalamazoo, MI, which to us is considered local. If this seems like a stretch to you, come visit DR. Your view of "local" might expand a bit. Bell’s doesn’t seem to be particulary sustainability minded, but they are a Midwestern brewery, and they are independently owned. Two checks in the “Good” column as far as we’re concerned. We carry Two-hearted Ale, Best Brown Ale and Oberon (the world’s prettiest beer label and cap!).
 

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. started in the late 70’s in Chico, CA and is still independently owned. In December 2008, they completed what is now one of the largest privately owned solar installations in the country. They also have a bio-gas recovery program. Not only do we love their beer, we love their attitude. I wish all companies were this conscientious. We carry Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Sierra Nevada Stout.

Schlafly is located in St. Louis, MO, which for us is REALLY local. Their sustainability efforts aren’t (yet) stellar, but at least Schlafly is thinking about this stuff, which is a step in the right direction. We serve Schlafly Summer Lager, Octoberfest, Winter ESB, and No. 15.

OK. We admit it. Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider is imported from the UK. But it is organic, and it tastes GREAT!

North American Breweries, makers of Honey Brown Ale, is headquartered in Rochester, New York was formed in 2009 by KPS Capital Partners, LP, a private equity fund. The company owns and operates five U.S. breweries and six retail locations in New York, Vermont, California, Oregon and Washington.

So that's the current list. We're always on the lookout for something more local, more organic, better tasting. And remember - we're keeping it all cold for your next visit!


Love,
Alline