If you can’t find an answer to your question here, in the book, or elsewhere on the site, please feel free to leave a question in the comment section and I’ll get back to you asap (if you scan the comments, you may well find your answer there). I’m delighted to hear from you […]

Sproutlands, Wm. Bryant Logan
One of my favorite books is Dirt, The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth, by William Bryant Logan, which I read years ago, when I was up to my eyeballs in mud, making ovens and houses and doing all kinds of mud work in schools and communities. Then I slowly found myself more and more absorbed […]

Wood, food, Bacteria & Nana-tech
People often express concerns that eating off of wood is “unhygienic,” and perhaps even dangerous. I will restrain myself from ranting about how industrialized, commercialized, and commodified culture has turned nature into an evil villain bent on poisoning humanity. Instead, I’ll refer you to the work of Dean O. Cliver, a UC Davis prof who […]

Pricing: The value of a wooden spoon
On wooden spoons, wares, value, & money Ideally, I’d sell wooden spoons and bowls directly, person to person. Buyers could handle things, see some of the process, chat, sign up for a class, build relationships — and burn less fossil fuel…. In the meantime, however, most folks start by looking for a price. How do […]

cob ovens, spoon carving, & other workshops for 2019
May 18-19, cob oven workshop at the Artisan Baking Center in Petaluma California, details here June 22-23, cob oven workshop at the Prairie Mountain Folkschool in Joseph, Oregon, details here August 17-18, A two day Greenwood Carving class (from simple to more complex), at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Otis, Oregon, details here June & August Greenwood […]