We’re happy to introduce you to Scooter Merrins, who has stepped up to take on the important volunteer coordinator role in our hoop house builds. In addition to rounding up volunteers, he is also committed to working directly with Jeff to learn everything there is to know about hoops. Scooter is an invaluable asset in our goal to continue to build hoop houses in our community.
Scooter, please tell us about yourself:
I came to Michigan nine years ago after graduating from Oberlin. For most of that time I’ve been working professionally as a diabetes researcher. I got my PhD in Physiology here at UM in 2008. After that I decided to stay. I’m thankful to be funded by the National Institutes of Health for another 2.5 years at the newly constructed Brehm Diabetes Center. But whether I’m walking to the Farmer’s Market, or working a weekend with Jess and Abra at Bareknuckle Farm (in Northport, on the Leelanau Peninsula), I have never identified with a state, or invested in the people in it, as much as I have here in Michigan.
What is your role at Selma Cafe?
I started at SELMA in March of 2009 as a server and coffee runner, which I continue to do. And in the not too distant future Rex and I will be collaborating in the kitchen to bring you some breakfast. But most recently I’ve taken on the role of Hoop Build Volunteer Coordinator. This new position was created in view of Jeff and Lisa’s vision and commitment to greatly expanding the Small Farms/Small Farmers Initiative next season and the number of hoop houses in our immediate area, with additional support from the Farmer Fund. Next year we’re going to aim for 20 hoops. That’s right. 20. To accomplish this I’m working to (1) greatly expand our volunteer base, (2) improve the efficiency of the build process itself, and (3) generally promote hoop building as a fun way play outside with the other kids.
Our recent build at the Kangas’ Capella Farm was no exception to this: with an outstanding volunteer turnout we got the hoop up in record time, ran a solar shower so volunteers could clean up, and finished off the day with a feast of locally sourced food. Jennifer helped us build, and Dave spent the day in the kitchen with a team of cooks to support the builders.
I have a profound respect for our local farmers and the community we’re building. I can’t thank you folks enough. Perhaps you’ve heard the old working song, “The Farmer is the Man”. The title sounds good until you’ve heard the chorus:
And they take him by the hand,
And they lead him from the land,
And the merchant is the man who gets it all.
Yeah. We’re going to change all that. Now.
What work do you do when you aren’t volunteering with Selma?
Most evenings you can find me running through Bird Hills Metropark with my dog, Shasta. This year, after nine years playing club ultimate frisbee, I’ve ‘retired’ to make room for Wing Chun Kung Fu (inside fighting), which complements the Aikido (a more pacifist martial art) I take at the Asian Martial Arts Studio on 4th Street.
For some years my housemate and I have co-hosted weekly friends dinners at our house, which we call Potcook. Our motto: “Eat when your hungry. Drink when you’re thirsty. Play music if you wanna.” Picture a more anarchistic, scaled-down version of FM@SELMA, but still with a lead-by-example sustainability theme. It typically includes local food and some combination of homemade beer, wine, mead, cider, sake, soap, bread, yogurt, candles… you get the idea.
To accompany Potcook we occasionally have ‘band night’ at our house, an endearing and sometimes (poorly) coordinated effort to play our music together. This year we decided that adding a banjo player was must, so I’ve put down my guitar for a while, and started banjo lessons. I can almost sing and play at the same time. Almost.
What is your favorite food and drink?
Currently my favorite drink is the Rhubarb Mead I made early last spring. The rhubarb came free from a local gardener, Dan Clark, and it took my largest hiking backpack to bike home the 60ish monstrous stalks. But I only made five gallons so I’m going to need a new favorite drink within a year, or less if word were to somehow leak out.
My favorite food since I can remember is crepes. For one, this is because the recipe is easy to remember (1c flour, 1.5c milk, 2T melted butter, a pinch of salt, and 3 eggs, all warmed to room temperature >30 min). Second, they’re fun to make because the batter needs slight adjustments in the consistency– it’s always a surprise– depending on the weather conditions or which farmer’s ingredients I’m using. And most importantly, crepes are really versatile as either dessert (home-canned jams or maple syrup), or savory dinner (either stuffed with sauteed portabellas and goat cheese, or finely shaved crispy hash browns, yogurt, and green onions).
What else would you like us to know about you?
You know what seems weird to me? Most of my closest friends are the professionals working to make our community sustainable on a more global level: they work for the Ann Arbor Energy Office, Get Downtown, Washtenaw County Strategic Planning, the AATA, Recycle Ann Arbor, Energy Works Michigan, and Bareknuckle and Tantre Farms. But the strange part is that I don’t do it professionally. For me living locally has simply been a lifestyle choice, and until SELMA cafe came along my efforts have been on a smaller scale.
But, harkening to the Oberlin College motto: ”Think one person can change the world? So do we.”
If you’re interested in assisting in our new outreach program to expand the Hoop Build Volunteer Core, please email me for some details. Remember, I have to cure diabetes, too.
