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  • ร—
    Home ยป Appetizers ยป Lions, Tigers, Bears and Dilled Beans (recipe)

    LAST UPDATED: June 12, 2020 โ€ข FIRST PUBLISHED: June 23, 2011 By Toni Dash 7 Comments

    Lions, Tigers, Bears and Dilled Beans (recipe)

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    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Dilled Green and Yellow Wax Beans in jar

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    One of summer’s defining traits for me is eating outdoors and picnicking. I love the entire ritual of it, toting a kit wherever I go that includes a fabric tablecloth, fabric napkins, plates, silverware and other odds and ends for any anticipated needs. And I can’t imagine not including these Dilled Green and Yellow Wax Beans in my picnicking menu!

    Dilled Green and Yellow Wax Beans in jar

    A staple of my picnicking is home-canned pickles. I actually have never pickled cucumbers but have almost everything else. Years ago when living in California I first sampled pickled green beans and became absolutely smitten with them.

    Dilled Green and Yellow Wax Beans collage

    They were produced by a winery at a whopping $7 a jar. When I began to can a few years ago I experimented with making my own to huge success. My metric was the snap of the beans after sitting in the pantry, loathing mushy canned pickles. This recipe never disappoints with mouth-watering tangy, bright flavors and crispness of the beans even after 2 years in a jar I just opened! I’m sharing the recipe today for you to try them too as well as a fantastically wild  place I took them on a picnic!

    Dilled Green and Yellow Wax Beans
    More easy Pickle Recipes You’ll Love!

    • Pickled Red Onions
    • Pickled Jalapenos
    • Watermelon Radish Pickles
    • English Pub Pickled Onions

    Recipe

    Dilled Green and Yellow Wax Beans in jar

    Dilled Green and Yellow Wax Beans

    Tangy dilled beans are a crunchy snack and great as cocktail garnishes.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Save Recipe Recipe Saved! Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 7 pints
    Calories: 107kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
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    Ingredients

    • 4 pounds green and/or yellow wax beans
    • 1 3/4 teaspoons crushed dried hot red pepper
    • 3 1/2 teaspoons dried dill seed
    • 7 cloves fresh garlic , peeled
    • 2 ½ cups cider vinegar (ensure 5% acidity)
    • 5 cups water
    • 5 tablespoons pickling salt

    Instructions

    • Wash and trim ends of the beans. Cut beans into equal lengths allowing they will stand vertical in a pint jar with 1 inch space between their tops and the top of the jar.
    • Prepare jars and seals in boiling water. Place ½ teaspoon dill seed, one garlic clove and ¼ teaspoon red pepper in each jar. Fill jars with the beans.
    • Combine the water, vinegar and salt and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the salt. Pour hot liquid over the beans in the pint jars. Allow ½ inch space at the top of each jar.
    • Run a plastic knife around the outside of the beans in the jar to release any air bubbles. Wipe the top of the jar rim, and place seals and rings on the jars. Process is a water canning bath for 10 minutes (I did mine at 15 to be safe for my altitude).
    • Allow beans to sit for a month to be fully flavored.

    Notes

    This is not intended to be a primer on how to perform canning. Please ensure you are knowledgeable about canning before attempting this recipe and practicing all sterilization processes properly. Consult canning charts for the appropriate processing time at your altitude using 10 minutes as the base processing time. The acidity of the vinegar allows these to be processed safely in a water canner versus a pressure canner
    Adapted from Putting Foods By.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 107kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 37mg | Potassium: 643mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1935IU | Vitamin C: 32.8mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 3.2mg
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    Did you make this recipe?Mention @boulderlocavore or tag #boulderlocavore!

    Last year I discovered arguably the most exotic, unique picnic spot in all of Colorado and could not wait to visit again this summer:  The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesberg Colorado. About an hour north east from Boulder, amidst sprawling farm lands, is this incredible refuge unlike any other in the United States for rescued large carnivores and other animals.

    I can unequivocally state there is no sound on this earth like that of 70+ tigers when the meat truck rolls up on feeding day. It is the most unearthly primitive sound that serves as a clear reminder these animals are wild despite failed attempts to domesticate or employ them in inappropriate circumstances. The Wild Animal Sanctuary is the dream and unrelenting efforts of Pat Craig who knew he had a calling when rescuing his first jaguar at the age of 19. Fast forward 31 years and Pat now governs the oldest and largest non-profit large carnivore sanctuary in the United States. The stories of the rescues are both rewarding and heart breaking when learning of the circumstances for many of these animals. These are all rescued or abandoned animals being rehabilitated to their personal best to live in hospitable conditions for their lives.

    Tiger bathing

    The sanctuary is a place for animals, pure and simple; it is not a zoo. People are welcome to visit under certain conditions. You are asked first to not stop when driving along the fenced enclosures to view the animals. When on ground level they feel challenged and this is their home. There is no denying the breathtaking moment when spotting one’s first tiger or bear or wolf when entering the parking lot. To see the amount of animals all in one spot is simply mind bending.

    Wild Animal Sanctuary Colorado (Grizzly and Black Bears
    The Grizzly and Black Bears coming to meet the food truck

    After parking one enters a gift shop to check in, pay admission and check out a binder full of maps and personal facts about all the animals that you will spot. When exiting the back of the shop you begin to walk up an elevated  boardwalk to view the animals from above so as to not make them uncomfortable. The human benefit of course is the incredible up close view of the animals, the educational information all prepared so neatly and the taking in of the vast property, with the snow capped Rockies in the distance.

    Wild Animal Sanctuary Colorado (camel
    There is an educational round house building about half way up the walkway which has multiple televisions playing various programs about the center and specific animals, mainly Eddy the Black Panther whose story is captivating as told by an Animal Planet program. Flanking the building below are pens of tigers in various states of recuperation. Some are being evaluated for their compatibility capabilities, where others will live here as the best fit versus other enclosure options at the center. Tigers are solitary and territorial animals so throwing a bunch in a pen and calling it a day is not an option.

    A tiger in an enclosure

     

    A favorite day to visit if possible is feeding day (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays between 9-11:30 a.m.). All the animals clearly know what is coming. We heard wolves howling, tigers bellowing and an occasional moan from a lethargic lion. The tigers frolic like puppies with anticipation as the meat truck pulls up to their enclosures. Ironically most of them snatch the huge meat mass placed in their enclosure, drag it somewhere and the day we were there, hopped into their pools for a soak (it was about 75-80 degrees it felt at 9:30 a.m.) leaving their meat pop uneaten. I guess just knowing it was there sufficed. Within an hour they were all sacked out.

    Wild Animal Sanctuary Colorado (meat truck feeding)

    Wild Animal Sanctuary Colorado (feeding time)

    Wild Animal Sanctuary Colorado (feeding time)

    At the top of the boardwalk is a 360 degree viewing platform stocked with wrought iron picnic tables and chairs. There is a snack shop in the middle that was open when we were there though we’d planned ahead and brought our own which visitors are welcome to do. There really is something surreal about sharing lunch in the midst of lions under the view of the Rocky Mountains to the west, with a camel loping in a far off enclosure. It is an extraordinary place and an opportunity that should not be missed by any who have the chance to visit. You will not see masses of animals like this anywhere else in the world I’d venture. With tigers being stealth animals in the wild; even spotting one is a treasure. To see this many live in one spot is nothing short of life changing.

    Wild Animal Sanctuary Colorado (lioness feeding)

    Even if unable to visit, it is worth checking out the center’s website for rescue stories and animal info. Private donations are a large part of the center’s support, either through one’s admission or direct donation through cool programs like adopting an animal.

    • Summer Hours of Operation (May 1 – September 30): 9 a.m. to Sunset Daily
    • Winter Hours of Operation (October 1 – April 30): 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Daily
    • Cost: Adults $10, Children 3-12 $5
    • Directions to the sanctuary may be found on their website
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Interesting Animals says

      June 06, 2017 at 12:10 am

      5 stars
      Thank you for sharing this interesting article with the community. Keep it up!

      Reply
    2. Lizzy says

      June 25, 2011 at 12:12 am

      My dad would LOVE your dilled beans…he's hard to shop for, but this might be a wonderful gift. And thanks for sharing your incredible photos from the sanctuary…very cool.

      Reply
    3. Island Vittles says

      June 24, 2011 at 8:07 pm

      Dilled beans in a Caesar (similar to a Bloody Mary)…that is the cocktail that screams summer to me. I think it's time I made my own! theresa

      Reply
    4. Magic of Spice says

      June 24, 2011 at 3:40 pm

      The dilled beans sound wonderful!
      Just look at those big kitties…gorgeous!

      Reply
    5. myFudo says

      June 23, 2011 at 10:50 pm

      Perfect beans, it's been years since I've had pickled beans, pickles somehow remind me of summer.

      Reply
    6. Chef Dennis says

      June 23, 2011 at 2:18 pm

      Oh my!! What a perfect setting for those beautiful animals. How lucky they are to have that home and how lucky you are to be that close to visit! Those beans look delicious, I have never tried canning, need to read up on my little house on the prairie!

      Reply
    7. claudia lamascolo says

      June 23, 2011 at 11:55 am

      Your title really caught my eye… love the felines! This is a great post love the photos!

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote

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    Welcome! Iโ€™m Toni Dash. Iโ€™m a Certified Nutrition Coach and the professional writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of Boulder Locavoreยฎ. Iโ€™m so glad you are here!

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