I attended an adobe
oven building workshop over the last two weekends at Under Belly
Farm, owned by Peter McAllister just outside of Kaslo, BC. It was
fun, informative and I feel very confident that I can build one in my own back yard. I wanted to share the photos I took and a very
quick rundown of what we did. For indepth instructions, there are
many books available to help you get the proportions correct for the
adobe. Our instructor was Spring Shine, an amazing artist from
Argenta, BC. Click on the photos to see them bigger.
First, Peter built a
platform out of logs and lumber to hold the oven at a comfortable
height for working:
The mixture of sand,
mud, straw and water is worked with bare feet on a tarp:
The first layer of
adobe is the base on the foundation:
Then add layer of
broken tempered glass (from old automobiles) is spread out for
insulation:
Next, a deep layer of
sand that will hold the fire bricks on the bottom of the oven:
And the nicely placed
fire bricks:
A willow cage is
constructed to hold the adobe while it sets:
At this point it looks
like a giant beaver dam:
Brick arch is formed
for the doorway to the oven:
After two more layers of adobe for insulation, the final layer is made
with sifted sand, and screened mud:
The straw was chopped up fine so
that the finish is smooth on the oven:
We decided to
incorporate some art to the structure, so a beautiful dragon was
sculpted with the adobe and some rocks:
The site had lovely green stones, so I searched until I found his eyes:
The work of art has to
dry for at least three days before the first firing:
I can't wait to
return and try out some pizza and bread in the oven! This project was
built entirely out of local materials, with a little hard work and
some great new friends. The result is an oven that will last for many
decades or longer if protected from the rain. Imagine how much great
food this can create!
For more info on
Spring, check out his websites here:
For more workshops in
the future, check out Under Belly Farm here:
