This is where it all started, my nonsensical notion of building an oven made out of mud. Like a knife fight, I wondered how I got into this mess and still aghast why my friend agreed to this. It was all a dream and completely unaware of how this fire breathing mud dome was going to shape my future. The first building step was the foundation, which I decided a mortar mixture of clay and sand would be a fine substitute for concrete (comrade Ben was not convinced it would hold the oven or even last one west coast wet winter...fair enough). Next, the salvaged 'character' bricks from an 80 year old greenhouse for the hearth, followed by the sand form to shape the dome of the oven. While beer with sand bits were going down the hatch, the ingredients of cob were being mixed by a bunch of amateurs. I'd keep taking a step back looking at the creation of mud and it would trigger all kinds of new ideas. How artistic and functional can we be with mud? After much skepticism, the oven was completed and a fire lit. What the hell were we going to bake? We were not cooks or bakers, normal kids that grew up with canned food and tv dinners. Damn. Wood fire cookery 101 here we come.
A new relationship with the oven quickly developed as did our kneading skills. Food club started every Sunday. No more ordering pizza, now it's backyard pizza. My favorite...banking new smells and flavors...memories.
This is where it all started, my nonsensical notion of building an oven made out of mud. Like a knife fight, I wondered how I got into this mess and still aghast why my friend agreed to this. It was all a dream and completely unaware of how this fire breathing mud dome was going to shape my future. The first building step was the foundation, which I decided a mortar mixture of clay and sand would be a fine substitute for concrete (comrade Ben was not convinced it would hold the oven or even last one west coast wet winter...fair enough). Next, the salvaged 'character' bricks from an 80 year old greenhouse for the hearth, followed by the sand form to shape the dome of the oven. While beer with sand bits were going down the hatch, the ingredients of cob were being mixed by a bunch of amateurs. I'd keep taking a step back looking at the creation of mud and it would trigger all kinds of new ideas. How artistic and functional can we be with mud? After much skepticism, the oven was completed and a fire lit. What the hell were we going to bake? We were not cooks or bakers, normal kids that grew up with canned food and tv dinners. Damn. Wood fire cookery 101 here we come.
A new relationship with the oven quickly developed as did our kneading skills. Food club started every Sunday. No more ordering pizza, now it's backyard pizza. My favorite...banking new smells and flavors...memories.
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