Calendula healing salve

Edible and medicinal flowers are ideal for creating healing salves, my favorite one is calendula, camomile, and lavender flower in a base of extra virgin olive oil and beeswax from my bees....
Method - collect about 3 cups of calendula blossoms and some lavender and camomile flowers, steep in 2 cups of extra virgin olive oil for about 1 hour which has been warmed ( don't boil). Strain out solids through a sieve and then return oil to saucepan. Add in about 30 grams of beeswax and melt over low heat. Pour in liquid into containers ( dark glass is ideal) and store out of sunlight. This salve should keep up to one year. Ideal for wounds of any kind! Just apply generously over the affected area and let its healing magic do it work!

Honey honey honey....

In my last post, I showed a picture of my first hive that has just swarmed. To make a long story short, that swarm took off over I-94 and we were not able to capture it. We then split the hive and put in some new queen cells to hatch out ( the existing queen cup cells were taken out as we wanted to change the DNA and temperament of the hive) and when we checked last weekend the new queens were laying eggs! Lots of new babies and activity in both hives!
Yesterday we did out first extraction and it was a wonderful occasion for all of us as my nearly 4 year old got to wear his new bee suit and work with the extractor machine! I have been a strong believer in raising our bees using no chemical and applying biodynamic principles of beekeeping!
For those of you interested in finding out more about the story of "real" honey and what is available in the grocery stores, please clink on the following link, it is a real eyeopener!

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/tests-show-most-store-honey-isnt-honey/


Now that you have some local honey, here is a fast and delicious appetizer for you to try
Cut up some sourdough or french baguette, rub both side with garlic, and then toast lightly. Once toasted and cooled, cut some slices of goats cheese and place on the toasts, then lightly pour over some honey and some lavender blossoms, place under boiler for about 1 minutes, then serve on a bed of greens for an easy salad or by themselves as a light appetizer

The nature of bees.... swarming

Picture taken after my hive swarmed and landed up 40 feet in a tree close to the original hive, they are now at their most docile as they have neither a home or a food supply to protect. We have set up a trap hive underneath the tree where we hope they will migrate to soon before they take off somewhere we cannot locate them. Swarming is a natural healthy process of a vibrant hive, all the signs were there that is would happen and this morning it did.....

Cupcakes.... for Japanese charity concert and sale for tsunami victims

They sold really well....

Spring rhubarb tarts!

Classic winter comfort food

Potato thyme and chorizo tart... warm and comforting on a cold winters day!

Is it time to become a "goddess" or "god" in the kitchen or even just learn to add some stellar, classic dishes to your repetoire?

I admit I love cooking so much but I also love even more to teach people how to cook so they become independent in their skills and can prepare a lot of tasty, healthy dishes for themselves. So many of my clients have beautiful homes that are just waiting to be filled with the humming and activity of a dinner party for friends or clients, typically most of my clients might choose to cater larger events but for smaller parties it is often much more intimate to have an interactive cooking experience in your home.
Since reviews of clients are the best source of accurate rating of a service, I thought I would post these on my website and blog so you can get an idea of what to expect in a private or group cooking class from The Sage Dish

Thai Cooking Class "I took part in a Thai Cooking Class with Chef Rita Conroy-Martin, and had a really lovely and informative afternoon. We learned how to make four dishes and ate at the Chefs home where she had laid out a lovely table with a Thai theme. Rita was patient and gave lots of tips during the preparation and cooking, I felt I could really master the dishes at home at the end. Rita made the whole experience an enjoyable one, even though the class was supposed to last 2 1/2 hours, we over ran to 3 1/2 hours and Chef Rita did not mind one bit, her passion for food and teaching shines." Helen, Ann Arbor, June 2011

Cooking Class in Ann Arbor "I bought this cooking class as a birthday gift for my wife. My intention wasn't to tell her that she needs cooking lessons because she is already quite good in the kitchen. I wanted this to be an enjoyable experience for both of us. The chef (Rita) contacted me about a week before the class via email. She wanted to know what kind of cuisine I was interested in learning and also needed a few other details. I told her what I wanted and she promptly replied with a proposal of a three course meal based on my input. I thought that she did a good job of selecting the proper dishes considering we only had 2.5 hours to prepare the food and eat. Chef Rita was well spoken, very polite and professional. We went to her home and used her kitchen for this class. Normally she uses local commercial kitchens but due to the date I picked for my class, there were none available. She had us do most of the hands-on work and gave good instructions and advise along the way. Our meals came out great and we had fun cooking it. I wanted the experience to be casual and fun and it turned out to be just that. Overall my wife and I were very pleased with the service that Chef Rita provided."