A while back I told you I would review the book Build Your Own Earth Oven. I think it’s about time, don’t you?

A month and a half ago, I posted this video on building an earth oven with cob construction:

It’s closing in on 3,000 views, so there’s obviously a lot of interest in earth ovens and building with cob. I admit on film to knowing basically nothing about cob construction – yet since I recorded that video with Joe Pierce, I now know a lot more thanks to the book he recommended on the process.

This is the book:

I get on kicks sometimes (remember my series of posts on primitive weaponry?) and will research a topic as if my life depends on it.

Call it an INTJ quirk, if you like. Or just another manifestation of my AMAZINGLY HUGE BRAIN!

“I can build an earth oven. With my mind.”

Actually, you don’t have to do a lot of research on earth oven construction if you have Build Your Own Earth Oven. It contains everything you need to know.

As I read it, despite my lack of previous experience, I started to think “Hey – I could do this! I WILL do this!”

Now I’m not doing it at the moment, since my house is up for sale and currently under contract, but after reading this book I’m itching to get started on a new homestead just so I can build an earth oven and try it out.

One of the best things about this book is its sheer enthusiasm for the topic. The illustrations, the stories, the pictures sent in by readers of previous editions – it’s a paean of love to the humble earth oven.

Build Your Own Earth Oven contains a variety of plans, methods for sheltering your oven, ways of using it for baking and lots and lots of good ideas. From the simple to the complex, the functional to the artistic, this book illuminates the beauty of working with your hands to build something productive that will feed you for years to come.

I don’t even eat bread except on rare occasions (yeah, I’m one of those crazy paleo types) and now I want to make some sourdough.

If you have any interest in off-grid cooking, baking with an oven that works BETTER than your electric model, cob construction or just spending a weekend working with your children to make something really cool… pick up a copy of Build Your Own Earth Oven.

I greatly enjoyed the book and its combination of a playful spirit with very practical and scientific information.

If you have any interest in earth ovens or off-grid cooking, get a copy. You’ll like it.

NOTE: If you decide to buy this book through one of my links above, I make a little commission on the sale without costing you any extra. Amazon sales help cover my web hosting costs – thank you!