Camden Clay Co.

Anything goes in the Anything Bowl!

New ProductsJess SmithComment

New product alert! Here are some flashback photos from warmer days. This was part of my final farmers market haul last summer (the purple part), at a time when we also happened to be prototyping and product testing our new Anything Bowl.

For a while we were calling it “pasta bowl” but a) that was too confusing with the Noodle Bowl, and b) it really goes above and beyond the (albeit wonderful) realm of pasta - it’s the perfect sized individual entree dinnerware dish, and also makes a great small serving bowl.

Counting the days until our local outdoor farmer’s market is open again! Mabel cut her teeth (literally) on so much yummy colorful local squash and other veggies! She has a lot more teeth now than in those last photos!

Meet Mabel!

Jess Smith2 Comments
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We’re proud to announce that we are now a family of three! Our daughter Mabel is almost two months old, and we couldn’t be more in love.

To celebrate, say “hello” to our new arrival with code HIMABEL at checkout and get 5% off your order, now until the end of the month!

Hi Mabel!

Hi Mabel!

We Have Good News, and Good News...

General BusinessJess SmithComment

Which would you like to hear first? The good news? Okay.

The Good News, Part 1:

We’re moving! As you may have gotten a glimpse of on our Instagram feed, we’ve been busy over the past year or so designing and building a new home and studio - and it’s right around the corner! Yep, Camden Clay Co. is moving to its new permanent home right here in Camden. We’re so pleased to be able to stay in this town where Austin grew up, and where we look forward to growing our business, and raising our family… Oh, did I skip ahead?

Austin and his dad, Sam, begin framing on the new studio back in August 2019.

Austin and his dad, Sam, begin framing on the new studio back in August 2019.

The new studio starts to take shape amidst the glory of a Maine October!

The new studio starts to take shape amidst the glory of a Maine October!

The Good News, Part 2:

We’re having a baby! Austin and I are proud and excited to announce that our progeny will be joining us on this plane of existence in September of this year!

So with all these exciting changes happening, as well as the state of the country at the moment (which I won’t go on about too much, because if you all are anything like me the last thing you want to read is another company talking about its safety measures!), we thought we’d take the opportunity now to close our current and beloved showroom, take stock of our inventory, safely pack things away for the big move, and start posting some "Ready To Ship" items on our online store!

Making it official back in 2016.

Making it official back in 2016.

A scene from our first Pop Up Shop, cohosted with Treyummy, in June 2016!

A scene from our first Pop Up Shop, cohosted with Treyummy, in June 2016!

I’m working on it slowly, as there’s quite a lot to document, so stay tuned to our Instagram feed for updates, and keep checking the new Ready To Ship! shop section on our website.

We are still taking “Made To Order” orders through the website. We can’t tell you how much we appreciate your continued support - thank you to everyone who is placing orders! Our hearts are with our retail, gallery, and restaurant clients. We look forward to working with you all again when we all come out the other side of this, older, wiser, and stronger.

Stay safe, stay sane, and Happy Spring! - Jess

Holiday Shop 2019!

Jess Smith1 Comment
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Hi there!

We’ve been super busy this holiday season, and a number of our local customers have asked about holiday shopping hours, so we are going to have open hours on Saturday Dec. 14th from 10am - 3pm. During that time feel free to drop by and shop our wares, including our popular seconds shelf! We will likely have some kind of refreshments… I’m thinking hot cider? :)

I know those hours won’t work for everyone, so as per usual, please get in touch if you’d like to set up a showroom visit at a time that works for you. You can call or email us to arrange your visit.

We look forward to seeing you, and happy holidays!

- Jess & Austin

Introducing: Wild Blue - A new glaze color from Camden Clay Co.

New ProductsJess Smith2 Comments
Wild Blue Camden Clay Co

We are excited to introduce the latest addition to our glaze color line up - Wild Blue!

Wild Blue is inspired by the deep, dusty indigo of ripe wild Maine blueberries. We are so pleased with the way this glaze came out. It's a bit of a departure from our previous, mostly pastel colors, which makes it really fun to pair with our other pieces and create new unexpected place setting color combinations. Above we have paired it with a Celadon Noodle Bowl and Dinner Plate.

It will be a little bit before we have a chance to update the photos for each product listing in our shop, but Wild Blue is available to order in the following: Builders Mug, Pinch Bowl, Dessert Bowl, Cereal Bowl, Noodle Bowl, Bread Plate, Lunch Plate, and Dinner Plate. Shop the collection here.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend! Summer is right around the corner!

Wild Blue Glaze Camden Clay Co

A Blizzard Shop Update

New ProductsJess Smith1 Comment

Hello from snowy Camden, Maine! Today I took the opportunity provided by being blizzard-ed in, to do a much needed update to our online store. The biggest change being two new products!

New plate sizes - Bread Plate and Lunch Plate - join the gang!

New plate sizes - Bread Plate and Lunch Plate - join the gang!

Our two new plate sizes - Lunch Plate and Bread Plate - have been a long time coming! Austin and I have been product testing both sizes, and we are very happy with the look and feel of these two new additions. Shop both now on our online store!

"Perfect Snow Day" Free Shipping Promo!

General BusinessJess SmithComment

We are back from our last big show of the season, Craft Boston Holiday, at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. We arrived home late Sunday night, and on Monday we got our first real snowfall of the season, about 3" of beautiful sparkly magic.

So to celebrate we are offering Free Shipping on all online orders over $20 from now until midnight on December 16th.

I have gone through and updated our inventory, so everything is ready to ship and should arrive in time for Christmas. If you would like to request something "made to order", just shoot us an email. On the 17th we will be holding a one day Pop Up Shop and Seconds Sale here at the showroom, and all items on our website will go back to "Made to Order - Ships in 3-6 weeks."

Happy shopping, and thanks for supporting local crafts this holiday season!

- Austin and Jess
CCCo.

 

An Excess of Zucchini, and a Gluten Free Zucchini Bread Recipe

RecipesJess Smith1 Comment

I didn't plant much in our garden this year, because I knew I'd be too busy to maintain it. But one thing I did plant was zucchini. We cook with it a lot - great grilled or in stir fry's, stuffed, in soups and sauces. So I never imagined I'd have the problem of too much zucchini.

I also didn't notice when I bought the little six pack of zucchini seedlings that there were actually two plants in each section, for a total of twelve plants! Needless to say we've had more zucchini than we've known what to do with this summer. And some of them have been HUGE!

Starting the evening of our last Pop Up Shop, I've noticed a chill in the air that makes me excited for fall, which is my favorite time of year. I've started knitting myself a new hat, and drinking hot chai tea on the cooler mornings. This recipe calls for a lot of the same spices that are in chai, including cardamom. Happy baking!

Gluten Free Zucchini Bread Recipe

From Gluten Free Bible
Makes 1 loaf, serves about 12

Dry:
2 1/2 cups Gluten Free Flour Blend
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup teff flour (I used white rice flour)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Wet:
1 1/4 cups whole milk (I used 2% lactose free milk)
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil (I used olive oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:
2 cups grated zucchini, squeezed dry
1 cup chopped walnuts/raisins/chocolate chips or some combinations of these (optional)

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5" loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with gluten free cooking spray such as PAM Coconut Oil Spray.
  2. After you have grated your zucchini, transfer it to a sieve and press/squeeze over the sink to drain excess juice. This is an important step.
  3. Combine dry ingredients, making sure to break up any lumps (brown sugar, I'm looking at you!).
  4. Whisk together wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry, and stir briefly.
  5. Add grated zucchini and other optional filling ingredients and continue to stir until mixture is relatively smooth. Try not to over-mix.
  6. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake for one hour, or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Check the loaf at about 30 minutes for browning. If loaf is getting too toasty on top, cover loosely with a tin foil tent. Remove from pan onto wire rack to cool when it's done. The loaf slices better when it's cool, but tastes amazing still steaming from the oven, so it's your call.

Serving suggestions: Enjoy plain or with butter or cream cheese.

Featured in this post: Our Dinner Plate in Natural.

Dig Earth, Shape Earth, Put Earth in Fire: Working with Natural Clay Deposits on a Maine Island

Jess Smith3 Comments
Island Clay Experiments with Camden Clay Co.

As those of you who follow our Instagram already know, Austin and I spent the better part of the third week in July on a remote Maine island. He and his family have been doing this for 25 years, and I started tagging along in 2009. The island (which I won't name here), has no cars or running water, solar electricity only, 6 or 7 total buildings, and is just an overall magical place to escape the craziness and complexities of life.

Last year we started experimenting with digging the natural clay deposits found on the beaches, and inspiration struck when we were hanging out around a campfire one night - "Why don't we try to pit fire some of these little creations?"

This little totem is one of the results of last year's firing experiment.

So we did, and we were kind of in awe at the simplicity of the whole process. We are used to working with a lot of supplies and formulas and tools, and firing in an industrial electric kiln, so taking all that away and bringing it down to it's most elemental components - digging earth, shaping earth, putting earth in fire - was a really rewarding and inspiring experience.

The clay on the island is very coarse, and not super easy to work with. So this year we thought we'd bring one or two simple tools and see what kind of a difference that would make. We brought a bucket, a sieve, a spatula, a plaster slab, and two wooden forming tools - a knife and a rib. While sieving the clay did make it a little smoother, we didn't feel that it made it any more workable. Next year I don't think we will bother with the tools.

After digging and preparing the clay, we shaped it on the beach one afternoon, and fired under the light of a full moon. A few of the pieces blew apart in the fire, likely because we rushed the drying process in order to try to have our fire on a less windy evening. The whole week was very windy, but of course the night after we fired was the stillest!

We were up past midnight tending the fire and expecting the tide to come up and dowse it like it had the year before, but it didn't get quite as high this year. So after removing the surviving pots, we put out the fire and went to bed, our clothes saturated with wood smoke. We were so tired and our eyes stung and throats itched from being so close to the fire all night. We both agreed we wouldn't fire clay again next summer, but I'm already looking forward to giving it another go!

Strawberry Moon Sangria

RecipesJess Smith1 Comment
Camden Clay Co. Strawberry Moon Sangria

Summer is officially here, and so are the strawberries. This time of year we almost always have a pint of fresh Maine strawberries in the house - usually from Beth's.

Beth's Maine Strawberries - Camden Clay Co.

Our pop up shop last weekend was such a great way to kick off the summer. We were blown away by the support you all showed by coming, shopping, saying nice things, and hanging out until the mosquitoes forced us to admit it was time to get Long Grain take-out and call it a night.

Many of you who came for the reception on Saturday night asked about our Strawberry Moon Sangria recipe. It's so easy and pretty and delicious, I thought I'd share! I got the sparkling pink lemonade and the cucumber soda from The Market Basket in Rockport, incase anyone around the Camden/Rockport area is wondering where to get such things.

Scroll down for the recipe! Happy summer!

P.S. Our good friend Ben Breda made this knife and it is everything. You really need one. Check out his website.

Camden Clay Co. Strawberry Moon Sangria Recipe
Making Strawberry Moon Sangria with Camden Clay Co.
Strawberry Moon Sangria from Camden Clay Co.

Camden Clay Co.'s Strawberry Moon Sangria

(Makes a half a pitcher, easily doubled)

  • 2 cups Rosé such as La Vieille Ferme
  • 1 cup Lorina Pink Citrus Lemonade, or other sparkling lemonade
  • 1/4 cup Mr. Q. Cucumber sparkling cucumber soda
  • about half a lemon sliced
  • a handful of sliced fresh Maine strawberries

Mix it all together in a pitcher and serve over ice! So simple, so summery, so good.

This post features our Noodle Bowl in Natural, and our Dessert Bowl in Rose.

Dessert for Breakfast: Berry Crumble Recipe

RecipesJess Smith1 Comment

Good morning from foggy Midcoast Maine! Here at Camden Clay Co. we live with a few dietary restrictions, so when I find a gluten-free, low-FODMAP recipe that's this tasty, it's a really exciting thing. I discovered this particular recipe a few weeks ago and have been making it once a week ever since. It's so easy, has no dairy and very little sugar, and whenever I make it I think to myself, "this is basically breakfast."

So this morning when I woke up to a grey, overcast Sunday, I decided I deserved a little treat. I made myself a cup of earl grey lavender tea with milk (lactose-free of course) and sugar, and got out the berry crumble. Scroll down for the recipe, and enjoy!

Gluten Free and Low-FODMAP Berry Crumble

Original recipe is from WorthCooking.net

Prep time:  8 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  38 mins

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

For the filling

  • 12 oz bag frozen berries, I use Wyman's because they are a Maine company. I like to use a mix, but you can just use blueberries too.
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • zest of 1 orange (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon potato starch, or other starch

For the topping

  • 1¼ cup gluten free old fashioned rolled oats (plus a little more for sprinkling on top)
  • 2 Tablespoons tapioca starch
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 Tablespoons natural cane sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons virgin coconut oil (solid or liquid)
  • 1 Tablespoon water

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Put the frozen berries in a pie plate or baking dish, add the maple syrup, orange zest, vanilla and salt. Stir together. Sprinkle with the starch, and stir in.
  3. In the bowl of your food processor put the oats, tapioca starch, sugar, salt and baking powder. Blend until the oats are ground into a slightly coarse meal. Add the oil and water, blend until incorporated.
  4. Crumble the topping onto the berries and spread out somewhat evenly. Break up bigger clumps into into smaller pieces. Sprinkle a few extra oats on top before baking for a little texture.
  5. Bake crisp for 30-35 minutes, until the crisp is baked through.
  6. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before eating.

I recommend serving it with a scoop of non-dairy vanilla ice cream. My favorite is Luna & Larry's Organic Coconut Bliss Vanilla Island flavor. Yum!

This post features our Dessert Bowl in Fog, and our Builder's Mug in Rose.

MOON POP // a summer solstice pop-up shop

Jess SmithComment

You are cordially invited to join us for our first ever pop-up shop! We have teamed up with Treyummy and Austin P. Smith Ceramics to bring you this two day event, and we will be hosting it at our new showroom in Camden. Moon Pop will take place Saturday June 18th and Sunday June 19th in Camden, Maine. Click here for all the deets! You can RSVP on Facebook, and follow #moonpopshop on Instagram to see what we are making! See you there!

Behind the Scenes - Unveiling a New Mold

Jess Smith1 Comment

Here's a sneak peak into a new project we are working on...

Austin has been making plaster molds for almost a decade, and I am always mesmerized watching him work! This little video (shortened for Instagram time) makes the process of unveiling the mold look much faster than it is, but it's always so cool to see the final product. Now this mold has to dry out completely before we can start casting from it. Shouldn't take too long now that the sun has finally emerged. It's a gorgeous spring day here today. I think I'll go outside and get some vitamin D.

Stay tuned to see what's in the works!

- Jess

The first one...

Jess Smith1 Comment

Well, it's been years in the making, but we are finally launching our online store! I'm so excited to share Camden Clay Co. with the world... and I hope everything works! Please, please if you notice any bugs shoot us an email using the contact form. Thanks for visiting! - Jess