How to Build a Riverbank Clay Oven

There are different types of soil around the country. Some dirt is dark and some is light brown. Some is more like sand than dirt. Other areas of the country are hosts to clay-like soil. If you camp or fish near a river that features clay-like soil youre in luck! Youll be able to bake delicious meals that you normally wouldnt be able to unless you took along your own camping oven. Forget that! Build a clay oven and youll be able to bake a pie, a casserole or other things that require baking.

The best place to build a clay oven is at a riverbank that stands about as tall as a mans waist. If youre standing in the grass, and you have to look down to see the river, youre probably standing on a good place to build the clay oven.

Start by driving a stake through the grass, straight down into the ground, about three feet from the front of the bank. The stake should be about as big around as your arm. Hammer it down a couple of feet. If you think youd like to build the clay oven again and again, each time you camp out or fish, keep a stake in your vehicle. Its much easier to drive a stake thats pointed at one end than a log of wood you find near the river. Go around to the front of the bank and begin digging out a hole. The hole you dig should be just large enough for you to put your fist in. Inside, youll dig a much larger hole, so that you create an "oven" with a tiny, fist-size opening in the front. Continue digging out the dirt until you reach the stake. At that point, you can pull out the stake, and youve created a chimney for your oven. Wet your hands and pat the soil inside the homemade oven. Smooth the clay on the inside of the oven by wetting and patting the soil until it is smooth all the way around. Work towards creating a round oven which features a flat bottom. After the clay oven is shaped, place some dry firestarter and wood inside, light it, then allow the clay to bake. That finishes the oven! Now you can use it whenever youre ready. To use the oven, lay rocks inside on the bottom, then start a fire. Get the fire rolling pretty good then scrape out the hot coals and ashes. Place the baking dish on the rocks, cover the hole in front, then cover the chimney hole. The holes can be covered by stacking rocks or packing clay over them. The food will need no turning or adjusting at all. Just leave it inside the oven until theyre done - usually a few minutes longer than what you would bake it in a regular oven at home.