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I built a new demonstration horno for my latest online “Horno Design and Construction” class. I videotaped the entire building process for this and future online horno classes. I decided to give this oven an insulated earthen floor instead of the usual fire brick. So far it seems to be working really well. As always, I used all natural materials from the local area. The final finish is an experimental mud plaster with wheat paste mixed in and lots of chopped straw. We just had a nice rain so it will be interesting to see how it held up. Earth ovens perform better with natural plasters but you have to be willing to touch up the plaster once a year. The tiles were purchased from Habitat for Humanity, Santa Fe and were inserted directly into the final mud plaster coat. My next online horno class begins in late June.

I participated in 2 workshops at Ampersand Sustainable Learning Center in Cerillos, NM in May. The weekend workshops covered earthen plasters and earthen floors and were both excellent. Taos master plasterer Carole Crews taught the earthen plaster workshop and shared important plaster recipes and techniques with the group including a recipe for an aliz. Jim Harford taught the mud floor workshop sharing his excellent floor leveling and hand troweling techniques with us. I am extremely thankful for the knowledge Ampersand and the instructors so openly shared with me. Keep an eye on Ampersand’s website for news of upcoming workshops on passive solar water heating and other sustainable topics.