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Sep 20
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Our Inaugural Cob Oven Workshop: Mud, Fire, and Fun!

By Cob Oven, Natural Building Workshops
Cob Oven Bread

Baked bread fresh from the cob oven

A few short days ago, our first Cob Oven Workshop came to an end. The workshop was filled with mud, fire, and a whole lot of fun. Thankfully, our participants agreed! Folks got down and dirty as we built an oven from the hearth upwards. We learned all about how to make a good batch of cob, using natural and recycled materials effectively, plastering, how to fire an oven and make good use of the ample heat it provides, and lots more. We sure did eat extremely well, too.

Here are a few nice testimonials from just a couple of our lovely people from the inaugural workshop:

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Sep 09
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This is What Security Looks Like

By Living Electricity-free
Homemade Beeswax Candles

Our very freshly made 100% beeswax candles

Security is… a freshly made batch of beeswax candles. Their smell is intoxicating, and they provide beautiful light for us year-round. We have been making them for about five years now, and 3 days of candlemaking work a year is all it takes to provide light for the other 362 days. Not bad.

We use way fewer in high summer, when the days are long, and when we can cook without them, but in winter, we use significantly more because it’s dark by 5:00 p.m. We also use more when we have guests, because they create such a great mood, ya know?

Sep 04
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Twenty Pizzas Later…

By Cob Oven
Outdoor Pizza Oven

The first fire in our new outdoor cob oven

In preparation for our Cob Oven Workshops, we did a “test” pizza party over the weekend. Over 20+ pizzas, 4 loaves of bread, 2 pans of zucchini bread, 2 cookie loafs, 1 pan of brownies, and 1 roast duck (homegrown!) later… I’d say it was a success. The oven was still holding over 200° 18 hours later! Wowzers. This is why I love outdoor cob ovens: they are extremely easy and cheap to build, you can take serious advantage of lots of heat to cook delicious food, and it’s an awesome social experience to gather around the oven while pizzas are flying out. An outdoor oven has all the right ingredients.

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Sep 01
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Roundwood Timber Framers Unite: More Timber Frame Workshop Photos

By Timber Framing, Natural Building Workshops, Photos
Roundwood Timber Frame Workshop Group Shot

The fearless band of roundwood timber framers

Our most excellent group of students have disbanded for now, as our 2013 Timber Frame Workshop has come to an end. The group took on the challenge of working with roundwood to construct a traditional mortise and tenon style timber frame, and I must say — they did a great job given the lack of previous experience. Check out a few images of them hard at work below!

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Aug 25
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Make Your Own Wooden Pizza Peel

By Woodworking, Cob Oven, Hand Tools
Wooden Pizza Peel

Homemade wooden pizza peel ready for action

This week, I remembered our nearly finished outdoor oven is almost useless without a certain few tools. Unlike a conventional oven, you don’t just pop open the door, throw on an oven mitt or two, and take out your food. The best and most exciting part of baking in a cob oven is sliiiiding pizza and bread in and out with a pizza peel, a long handled paddle for transferring food in and out without burning your fingertips off in a 800°+ cooking environment. So I decided to take a couple hours to make a wooden pizza peel with a piece of oak I had sighted earlier for the purpose. Here’s how I made it.

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Aug 22
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If Some One Offers You a Drill, Take It (Timber Frame Photo Update)

By Timber Framing, Natural Building Workshops
Roundwood timber frame

Students take on roundwood timber framing this year

Recently, one of the timber frame participants wisely said: ‘if some one offers you a drill, take it.’ I think this quote has wide application, and plan on remembering it. Our instructor Tom Cundiff says he prefers to teach students with minimal or no experience with working wood or timber framing. In his view, those individuals are more open to being taught and absorbing new information. If some one already thinks they have the answer, it can be harder to teach something new or different.

The students this year are doing a great job thus far. Most have had zero or little timber framing & carpentry experience, but it’s amazing how quickly people catch on in a workshop setting. It’s really fun to witness that. The sponge effect is definitely happening. It’s also interesting to see the evolution of understanding — how experiencing different parts of the timber framing procedure gradually create a more fully formed image and understanding. All of a sudden you’ll see that “a-ha!” moment. I know I’ve felt that myself, too.

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Aug 17
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The Calm Before the (Framing) Storm

By Natural Building Workshops, Timber Framing
Roundwood Timber Frame Workshop

Calm before the storm…

Our batch of students for the 2013 Timber Frame Workshop arrive this afternoon, and we are in that interesting moment in time right before a lot of activity, anticipating, getting the last few things in order, and looking forward to the 10 days ahead. This year’s workshop feels vastly different than last, since April and I (a.k.a., The Year of Mud) are acting as hosts and organizers, or masters of ceremonies. We’ll be ducking in and out of the class itself, too, but the labor is much more evenly distributed this year, which is really nice.

Anyway, we love hosting workshops and meeting new people, and reveling in the excitement that is part of participating with a group of people on a project in an organized way. These workshops are like an extension of community, although temporary. But a sure sign of success, despite how temporary and brief these workshops ultimately are, is maintaining contact with former participants.

Well, look forward to updates throughout the week! We’ll make daily updates on The Year of Mud on facebook, too.

Aug 08
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The Return of the Outdoor Cob Oven

By Cob Oven
Outdoor Cob Oven

Building another and better outdoor cob oven

It’s been several years since we have been without an outdoor cob oven at our disposal, and I have dearly missed having it around! The original “$20 pizza oven” that we built back in 2009 had to be “moved” since it was in the way of drainage work that needed addressing around Gobcobatron.

But at last, the time has come. In the coming week or two, we intend to build another outdoor pizza oven, better than the last. The time, we have a proper shelter to shield it against the elements (see above!), and we’ll be making several other modifications for creating a lean, mean pizza baking machine. Er… it’s actually kinda big, and distinctly un-machine like, but whatever.

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Aug 06
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Update: Petition to Save Charlie & Family’s Natural House

By Media
Charlie's Natural Roundhouse 02

The house slated to be demolished, unless retrospective permission is granted

There is now a petition online at Change.org that has been organized to try to grant Charlie and his family retrospective planning permission for their stunning roundhouse in Wales.

Click here to sign the petition. In barely 24 hours, the petition already has nearly 15,000 signatures! Wow. Here’s a big thanks to Natural Homes for putting all that effort into helping this young couple.

Is there still hope? We’ll see… I sure hope so.

Aug 03
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Justice Unserved: Incredible Natural Home in Wales Ordered to Be Destroyed

By Media
Charlie's Natural Roundhouse

This natural home has been ordered to be destroyed by planners in Wales

Today, justice has gone unserved. Photos and stories of Charlie’s roundhouse have been circulating the web for the past several months, especially when it was announced that Charlie and his family might have to demolish their incredible and artful home, since the house was deemed “harm[ful] to the character and appearance of the countryside” by Pembrokeshire County Council planners.

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