Humus (long U…like in human)
Soil is made of 3 basic components, water, air and particles. Water and air are what they are. The particles differ from region to region and no 2 square feet will be exactly alike. Humus is the Latin word for soil. Humus is traditionally thought of as the completely decayed particles from a forest floor. Now, it takes a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand years to completely break down organic matter into humus. This is a good article about humus, some of it was a little more scientific than I enjoyed, but it will give you the basic too. https://www.humintech.com/001/articles/article_humus_still_a_mystery.html Since we can’t just go digging it up in national forests (or most private lands) we try to acquire something like this magical stuff, for you. We carry Landscapers Pride Black Humus, by the yard and by the bag. Black Humus is a pure pine product that has been composted. It is ground from the waste of a saw mill so it is clean and certified organic. We use it as a mulch and a soil additive, both with great results. We also have it put into our RCW Custom Blend.
Landscapers Pride also took their Black Humus and screened to produce a finer textured product and called it Compost Peat. This product has a pH of 4.1 (very acidic) and is great for all your acid loving plants (azaleas, camellias, blueberries, etc.) and can be used as a replacement for peat moss. (This is why you don’t want to use peat moss… https://rcwnurseries.com/?p=365 ) .
Hummus (short U like hungry)
Hummus is the middle eastern word for “feel free to pig out on this delicious spread without guilt”. No matter how you spell it, I love it. We have tried a ton of recipes and decided that I would never find the right one. Last week my daughter decided to try another and VOILA!!! Amazing!!! Smooth, creamy, lemon and garlic in perfect balance plus the slightest pepper kick. Here it is!
2 cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained (about 3 cups)
1 clove of garlic (2 if you like more)
6 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I like Trader Joe’s California Estate)
2 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 large lemon zested (we like lemon but left this part out)
2/3 cup lemon juice (put whole lemons..with a small slice cut un it… in microwave for about 30 seconds…way easier to juice it)
1/4 tsp cumin (this is ground cilantro seed, so when your plants go to seed, save them and crush them)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
about 1/2 cup of hot water
Toss everything in food processor except water and run for about 5 minutes, while SLOWLY adding the water. Stop machine when the hummus has a smooth, loose, peanut(ish) consistency. You could eat it out of the processor, but if you can wait a couple of hours for it to set up in the refrigerator, it is even better.
Drizzle olive oil on the top, more red pepper flakes or a little paprika, pine nuts and little fresh, chopped parsley on top.
Serve with a greek salad, pita bread, pita chips, celery, carrots, bell pepper…try the things you love.
Remember Hummus has 2 M’s because you will always want More!