# Canning in Half Gallon Jars



## kappydell

it seems nobody except amish families and other large families can in half-gallon jars anymore. Even the jar companies will not give out recipes for anything other than apple or grape juice in half-gallon jars - they have not tested them. 

However, for the adventurous, as late as 1982 the Kerr Home Canning & Freezing Guide gave guidelines for using half gallon jars for canning. “Backwoods Home” magazine canner Jackie Clay confirms these times and adds in her articles that as long as the food is boiling hot when you put it in the jars, and you can it right away (packing hot into hot jars, and keeping it hot) you should get good results. 
Use the usual check for spoilage when opening: appearance, spurts and smell; then simmer 15 min to be sure. 

The guidelines say that you add:
10 min to quart jar times for water bath canned acid foods 
5 min to quart jar times for pressure canned acid foods
20% more time to quart jar times for non-acid pressure canned foods 
So I did the math and here are my calculations:
(On this chart, BW means processed in boiling water bath, 10# means processed under 10 pounds of pressure)

PRODUCE
Apples BW	35 min 
Applesauce	BW	35 min 
Apricots	BW	40 min 
Asparagus	10#	40 min 
Beans, snap	10#	35 min 
Beans, lima	10#	60 min 
Beets 10#	48 min 
Berries, except strawberries	BW	30 min 
Bruss. Sprouts 10# 40 min
Broccoli 10#	48 min 
Cabbage 10#	40 min 
Carrots 10#	36 min 
Cauliflower	10#	48 min 
Cherries BW	35 min 
Corn, kernel	10#	102 min. 
Cranberries	BW	25 min 
Currants	BW	30 min 
Eggplant	10#	48 min 
Fruit, dried	BW	25 min 
Figs BW	50 min 
Grapes BW	30 min
Greens 10#	108 min
Fruit Juice	BW	add 10 min to quart time
Grapefruit	BW	30 min 
Hominy 10#	96 min
Nectarines BW	35 min
Okra 10#	48 min
Onions 10#	48 min
Peas 10#	48 min

Peaches BW	40 min
Pears BW	40 min
Peppers, sweet 5# 72 min
Pickles BW add 10 min to quart time 
Pineapple BW	40 min 
Plums BW	30 min
Potatoes 10#	48 min
Pumpkin 10#	108 min
Rhubarb BW	25 min
Rutabagas 10#	36 min
Soybeans 10#	96 min
Strawberries BW	25 min
Sweet potatoes, wet packed10# 168 min
Squash, summer 10# 36 min
Squash, winter 10# 108 min
Tomatoes	BW	55 min
Tomato juice BW	25 min
Tomatoes, stewed BW 65min

MEATS & CONVENIENCE FOODS
Beef	10#	108 min 
Stew Chunks, any meat 10# 90 min
Fish	10#	108 min 
Game 10#	108 min
Ham	10#	108 min
Lamb,veal 10#	108 min 
Pork 10#	108 min 
Poultry	10#	108 min 
Sausage	10#	108 mi
Tenderloin 10#	108 min
Venison	10#	108 min
Bean soup 10#	72 min 
Bean & Bacon soup	10# 75 min	
Beans, baked 10#	75 min 
Chicken soup 10#	60 min 
Hamburger sauce	10# 108 min
Italian meat sauce 10# 90 min
Soup stock 10# 36 min
Tomato sauce	10#	45 min 
Veg. Beef Stew	10#	90 min

I DO NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM THIS POST. IT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY, AND YOU USE SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK, AS WITH ALL CANNING RECIPES. (So I don't want all the home canning folks screaming about the USDA guidelines, as I already know them quite well.)


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## LilRedHen

kappydell said:


> it seems nobody except amish families and other large families can in half-gallon jars anymore. Even the jar companies will not give out recipes for anything other than apple or grape juice in half-gallon jars - they have not tested them.


Thanks for the info. I saw six half-gallon wide mouth jars yesterday at Ace Hardware for $10.99. Then I looked at the price of a dozen wide mouth flats and rings and they were $5.49.  I would like to have them, but thought the price was ridiculous.


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## Emerald

I love my half gallons.. I do not can in them tho.. I use them for vacpacking dry goods that I use more often.. Like powdered sugar/brown sugar/honey/maple syrup and herbs.
I also like them for sun tea for me just enuf for one day.
I prefer wide mouth as they are much easier to clean but I have small mouth ones also.. 
The $10.99 you found them at is a reasonable price as they are much more expensive around here.. more like$12.99 to $14 even for a six of the half gallons.


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## timmie

thanks for the info .i have added it my growing library.


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## *Andi

My Grandmother used half-gallon jars for canning but when you have a large family, you can for your family size.

I'm like Emerald, I use them for dry goods or goat milk. They also come in handy for tea and other drinks around the holiday season.


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## Davarm

I inherited my grandmothers (small mouth)half gallon jars, they were her, and now my, pickle jars. All I am able to do in them besides pickles is hot water baths, cant afford a canner tall enough to hold them. Its a bear packing those small mouths with cucumbers for dill pickles though.

The local Gibsons carries just about all the canning supplies you could ever want, kinda pricey for the most part though. They do stock the half gallon wide mouths with lids and rings for $11.99 a six pack. I have a few dozen in addition to those I inherited, would not trade them in for just about anything.

Thank you for the guides, will put it in my book in case I happen to find myself with a canner that will hold the jars.


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## cybergranny

That's an awesome price for half gal jars. They come with the lids and rings and then you can watch for sales on lids for when you need new ones. You save and reuse the rings.

My grandmother canned meat in 1/2 gal jars. My mom said she had this large copper oval shaped kettle. She could remember how long she boiled it for; but said the meat was always delicious. My grand mother raised 17 children on the farm. Now I'm a great grandmother and just really canning 3 years ago. I saw one of those copper kettles on ebay and sure was tempted. I use my 1/2 gal jars for dry goods and sun pickles.


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## timmie

my great grandmother also did sun pickles. i haven't thought about them in a long time.would you mind sharing you recipe so i can make them and see if they are as good as i remember,please?


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## kathyprepper

Please don't consider canning meat or anything else low acid in anything but an approved pressure canner. There are reasons for most of the USDA's guidlines. It's not possible to check the internal temp of 1/2 gallon jars. I teach canning classes and have a web site where I talk about it a whole lot. One of my biggest hurdles is getting people to understand that just because your grandmother didn't die doesn't mean you won't.


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## Davarm

kathyprepper said:


> Please don't consider canning meat or anything else low acid in anything but an approved pressure canner. There are reasons for most of the USDA's guidlines. It's not possible to check the internal temp of 1/2 gallon jars. I teach canning classes and have a web site where I talk about it a whole lot. One of my biggest hurdles is getting people to understand that just because your grandmother didn't die doesn't mean you won't.


Have you posted the web address for your site? Lately I have been spending less time reading posts and more time in the garden so I may have missed it if you have.

I have been canning for a long time but am not old and cranky enough "yet" to close myself off to learning something new.


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## kathyprepper

The blog is www.justincasebook.wordpress.com and the website is preservingabundance.com. We are still under construction but I hope to have the pressure canning videos up and running in another 2 weeks.


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## cybergranny

*Sun pickles*



timmie said:


> my great grandmother also did sun pickles. i haven't thought about them in a long time.would you mind sharing you recipe so i can make them and see if they are as good as i remember,please?


Here you go, I do add the pepper, garlic and dill.

Sun pickles

31/2 c white vinegar
6 c water
1/3 - ¼ c salt (canning)
1 tap alum

Mix and pour over pickles and put out in the sun for 3 days. Bring in and place in fridge for 1 week before eating.

Dill and garlic optional and hot pepper


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## Emerald

cybergranny said:


> Here you go, I do add the pepper, garlic and dill.
> 
> Sun pickles
> 
> 31/2 c white vinegar
> 6 c water
> 1/3 - ¼ c salt (canning)
> 1 tap alum
> 
> Mix and pour over pickles and put out in the sun for 3 days. Bring in and place in fridge for 1 week before eating.
> 
> Dill and garlic optional and hot pepper


Are these whole or sliced or cubed/spears or what? Sounds intriguing.


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## PamsPride

kathyprepper said:


> The blog is www.justincasebook.wordpress.com and the website is preservingabundance.com. We are still under construction but I hope to have the pressure canning videos up and running in another 2 weeks.


Hi Kathy! I was just reading your blog and put two and two together that you were from the Nat Geo show!!! (What can I say?? I am a little slow!! LOL!) I am so grateful you are on PS to share with us!! I loved your gardens!! I wish they had shown more of it on the show and I hope you share your garden wisdom with us here on PS! If I recall correctly you are further north than I am so your growing season would be shorter. I would love to know how much food you really do grow and what produce you find does best with a shorter growing season. I only have 1.65 acres and I want to really concentrate on making it actually produce enough food to feed my family of 8! 
I have probably 5 dozen half gallon jars that I use to can with. My goal is to someday have enough half gallon jars to be able can up 52 jars each of spaghetti sauce, apple juice, grape juice, apple sauce, pears, and peaches. 
Thank you for participating in the PS forum and sharing with us! I really do appreciate it!


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## Davarm

cybergranny said:


> Here you go, I do add the pepper, garlic and dill.
> 
> Sun pickles
> 
> 31/2 c white vinegar
> 6 c water
> 1/3 - ¼ c salt (canning)
> 1 tap alum
> 
> Mix and pour over pickles and put out in the sun for 3 days. Bring in and place in fridge for 1 week before eating.
> 
> Dill and garlic optional and hot pepper


I dont make "Sun Pickles' but I do make quite a few quarts of dills each year. I have seen other peoples pickle recipes and like this one, they all use about a 2 to 1, water to vinegar mix. I am just about the only person I know of that uses a 2 to 1 vinegar to water mix.

I came up with it myself over the years and think it is pretty good, I guess I am in the minority.


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## Emerald

Davarm said:


> I dont make "Sun Pickles' but I do make quite a few quarts of dills each year. I have seen other peoples pickle recipes and like this one, they all use about a 2 to 1, water to vinegar mix. I am just about the only person I know of that uses a 2 to 1 vinegar to water mix.
> 
> I came up with it myself over the years and think it is pretty good, I guess I am in the minority.


I use equal 1=1 vinegar water mix


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## cybergranny

Emerald said:


> Are these whole or sliced or cubed/spears or what? Sounds intriguing.


I've done spears and whole.


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## siletz

I bought 1/2 gallon jars for the first time last fall to can up our homemade apple juice because I thought it would be easier than so many quarts. However, they were too tall to process in my water bath canner, so I had to find a tall stock pot and it could only fit a few at a time. So, I would suggest if you're going to buy 1/2 gallon jars, make sure you also have a pot to can them in.


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## Emerald

cybergranny said:


> I've done spears and whole.


Thanks! I am so gonna try these.. I'd bet they are as good as the Lacto-fermented ones.


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## kathyprepper

Hi Pam. What NatGeo got wrong (A Lot!) is that we believe it would be really hard to adequately feed a family on that much land. There is limited space to feed protein, rotate crops or grow grain. Here's what we grow. Almost all of our vegetables and a good deal of our fruit although we glean most of our apples )about 600 pounds) from abandoned ochards. We raise bees and we raise pigs, chickens and turkeys co-operatively. We belong to raw milk CSA and we buy local beef from another neighbor. We raise a lot of mushrooms and forage a lot more. We have two small greenhouses that keep us in greens in the winter although it's mighty slim pickings in January. We do grow a lot of squash and potatoes. We're tapping trees this week and will manage to put up about 2 gallons of syrup in a good year. So, long story short, we grow a lot and we can locally source a lot more. It takes a village to feed a child. I love being here. Lots of good folks and nobody has flamed me for being a Massachusetts liberal yet. Yeah!


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## goshengirl

kathyprepper said:


> nobody has flamed me for being a Massachusetts liberal yet. Yeah!


You're a Massachusetts liberal, and I'm a MidWest conservative libertarian... but with prepping and self-sufficiency is there is A LOT of common ground.  Glad you're here. :wave:


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## kathyprepper

And this is what it takes to be a village. Respect and tolerance and the ability to see things from another perspective. I am finding that a lot more in the prepping community than I used to. I agree. The line between I am able to do for myself and I think I will need to do for myself is slender. When things fall apart it won't be politics that saves us. It will be our willingness to get our hands dirty and the skills to know how to do what needs to be done.


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## PamsPride

No flaming from me! I think I fall in the Midwest conservative libertarian group! 
Well, I do love to see pictures and I do love to hear about what other people are doing no matter how big or small it is! It is all inspiring to me!


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## MsSage

cybergranny thanks for the recipe, now a stupid question..what is a tap of alum? I have never done pickles LOL


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## cybergranny

MsSage said:


> cybergranny thanks for the recipe, now a stupid question..what is a tap of alum? I have never done pickles LOL


Certainly not a stupid question. Dumb typing fingers here. Should be a tsp of alum. Alum is found in the spice section and is used to keep your pickles crisp.


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## kimspangrude

How do you cover the half gallon jars with water in a water processor? My water processor is the largest size I could find and it still was not deep enough.


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## kappydell

kimspangrude said:


> How do you cover the half gallon jars with water in a water processor? My water processor is the largest size I could find and it still was not deep enough.


Method #1 - if you have a big pressure canner that takes stacked quarts, then you can use as a boiling water bath for half gal. Take the gasket out of the cover and leave the weight off, for a cover. Be sure to leave the rack in place so the jars don't touch bottom. 
Method #2 - The amish have a special gigantic one they use. (Lehman's Hardware carries them - should be on the net) 
Method #3 -You can improvise a water bath canner by using a deep bucket with a rack on the bottom (jars must not touch bottom) made by taking a round cake pan that fit the bucket, and drilling it full of 1/4 inch holes. Put in bottom of bucket upside down so there is a space under it. Then find a cover for the pail. You can't do a lot of big jars at once, but you can do some that way, and if you are canning over a fire, the bucket is a lot easier to position and use on a fire grate.


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## stayingthegame

look for what Cajuns called crawfish boiler. we have a small one. holds about 25 gals of water (takes two people to lift it off the burner). it would be good for a lot of things besides canning. ours came with a large basket that hold the crawfish or shrimp when boiling. you may know them as a lobster pot.


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## Emerald

stayingthegame said:


> look for what Cajuns called crawfish boiler. we have a small one. holds about 25 gals of water (takes two people to lift it off the burner). it would be good for a lot of things besides canning. ours came with a large basket that hold the crawfish or shrimp when boiling. you may know them as a lobster pot.


They use the same thing here for big fish fries and for fish boils. pretty much a big turkey fryer with the basket. 
And for Michigan and Ohio folks and the other states around here.. the Invasive Rusty Crayfish is totally edible. and the Michigan DNR encourages you to catch and eat them. but you do have to have a fishing license. I have only had a couple but my Uncle traps them in the river out behind his house and says that, to him they are just as good as the ones he's had in Biloxi. He does put them in a big cooler with his minnow bubbler and fresh water overnight to kinda get them to purge a bit.


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## Riverdale

Emerald said:


> They use the same thing here for big fish fries and for fish boils. pretty much a big turkey fryer with the basket.
> And for Michigan and Ohio folks and the other states around here.. the Invasive Rusty Crayfish is totally edible. and the Michigan DNR encourages you to catch and eat them. but you do have to have a fishing license. I have only had a couple but my Uncle traps them in the river out behind his house and says that, to him they are just as good as the ones he's had in Biloxi. He does put them in a big cooler with his minnow bubbler and fresh water overnight to kinda get them to purge a bit.


Darn it, now I need to find a plan for crawdad traps :2thumb:


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## Emerald

Riverdale said:


> Darn it, now I need to find a plan for crawdad traps :2thumb:


My uncle just bought a couple of the heavier minnow traps at walmart. But I think he may have cut the opening bigger.
if you have tin snips and hardware cloth there are many plans out in the internet that are free to make.. 
I like this one but there are easier ones out there.
http://wut2.com/Activities/Survival Trips/Food/Collection/Crayfish/crawdad trap.htm


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## rockyridge

*Why not?*

Hey all,

I'm brand new to the forum. I never knew you couldn't can into half gallon jars. Is there any reason for this other than "just 'cause"? I've canned chili toms in a pressure canner into them for years. I guess I should be surprised I'm not dead! They're great - you can process 4 of them in a Mirro 22 quart canner (one quart more than using quart jars) and you use half the lids.

BTW, Menards has the half gallons for $7.99 per six pack until October 7th. I used up my last four last night and plan on grabbing a few cases today.

I look forward to learning for this site.


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## kappydell

i have heard that the reason that half gallon canning is 'not recommended' is that the heat has trouble getting to the inside center of the jars and making it hot enough to kill all the germs. 
That said, I also know quite a few folks who can in them regularly. However they are scupulously clean, and hot pack everything they can in the large jars.
But I do love the big jars for storing other things. I don't feed enough folks to can in jars that big anymore.


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## dixiemama

My great grandmother had a family of 7 and MANY grandchildren so she canned fruits mainly for pies, cobblers, etc for when the whole family for together. I use her jars for vac sealing mostly or just general storage around the house.


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## paulsw

Finally some folks with some common sense. I have been reading on other blogs about canning in 1/2 gal jars and they are all like lemmings. You know when they publish these books "for dummies" they mean just that. Our grand folks and grand aunts pressure canned a ton of stuff in 1/2 gal jars but people today are lazy and are always taking short cuts thus the liability statements on canning in 1/2 gal jars. My mother who is 84 now was telling me she went to a long time girl friend's house when she was canning and had a towel on the pressure hole of her caner trying to speed up the process. It's a wonder she didn't blow herself up. I'm pressure canning garden potatoes in 1/2 gallon jars because I want to and I have about 8 great jars to do it in. I do everything big but I'm not stupid and I don't take risk. Do it by the book and don't take shortcuts! Anyone ever watch Bizarre Foods and that guy is still alive. It's a wonder. I'm trying to learn all my mother's wisdom/experience while we have time. 

"Every day is one more opportunity we have been given to prepare for eternity."


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## kappydell

You have hit the nail on the head, paulsw...you need to follow directions, NOT take shortcuts, keep things very clean and use your head. I'd rather can things myself, even if it uses older (1970s) techniques because I KNOW what is in them and I KNOW how it was canned. I for one am tired of paying premium prices for commercially canned goods with way too many additives, sugar, and salt then finding it is also 80% sauce. I suspect I'm more likely to die from eating all those chemicals than from my canning.
For me, canning is another way I can take my own responsibility for my own food; and ultimately my own life.


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## JenBollinger

I could use some help. I started canning re-hydrated pinto beans in quart jars, changed my mind and used half gallons. Now, due to lack of research, no canning tables are available. I have 2 canners jiggling and I am having trouble with the chart. Advise?


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## Country Living

JenBollinger said:


> I could use some help. I started canning re-hydrated pinto beans in quart jars, changed my mind and used half gallons. Now, due to lack of research, no canning tables are available. I have 2 canners jiggling and I am having trouble with the chart. Advise?


I checked my So Easy to Preserve book (University of Georgia) to see if there were any recommendations for half-gallon jars. The only reference I can find is "_Half-gallon canning jars are recommended only for very acid juices_."


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## Dakine

JenBollinger said:


> I could use some help. I started canning re-hydrated pinto beans in quart jars, changed my mind and used half gallons. Now, due to lack of research, no canning tables are available. I have 2 canners jiggling and I am having trouble with the chart. Advise?


I've only done vacuum sealing in my half gallon jars, but since the math jumps from 75 mins to 90 mins doubling the capacity, I'd double the 15 min jump and add some, I'd do a solid 2 hours. this is fuzzy logic at best and I'm only hazarding a guess that you must make a decision on because unfortunately it's already cooking under pressure 

sorry wish I could be more helpful


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## Caribou

The trick on any jar of any size is to get the middle of the product to temperature and keep it there for long enough to kill everything. With a liquid, like a juice, you will establish a natural convection that will bring the central temperature up fairly quickly. You will not find any current tables on anything larger than quarts though you might find some old recipes on the half gallon.

Today you can find all types of food, including meat products, in #10 cans so it is possible to process the larger containers safely. The thing is if you don't know the rules then it is hard to follow them.

I know a gal that used to water bath meat. If memory serves she boiled the jars for three hours and was overjoyed when she finally got a pressure canner as it cut her cooking time in half. None of her family died, from that. She did all of her canning on a wood stove. I wouldn't recommend it but it kept her family from starving. She wrote her biography "Forty Years in the Wilderness" by Dolly Faulkner. Everyone I know that read it found it fascinating. We got the paperback copy form her but here is a link to the kindle version.

http://www.amazon.com/Forty-Years-W...84&sr=1-1&keywords=40+years+in+the+wilderness


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## readytogo

*1/2 gallon jars for canning...........*

In my opinion or better yet for my family size they are too big, I make my menus based on quart jars, no leftover's to worried about in case of a power outage either,1/2 gallon jars are great for pickling or vacuum packing crackers/cookies or other dry goods in small quantities, although I have to admit that for a large group outing like camping they will be great to have, no refrigeration needed ,one big meal in a jar.


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## Genevieve

I would use them for oven canning but I doubt they would fit in any of my wet canners lol


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## mrsbuckeye

*Website*

What is your website - I'd like to check it out 

Thanks
Sherrie



kathyprepper said:


> Please don't consider canning meat or anything else low acid in anything but an approved pressure canner. There are reasons for most of the USDA's guidlines. It's not possible to check the internal temp of 1/2 gallon jars. I teach canning classes and have a web site where I talk about it a whole lot. One of my biggest hurdles is getting people to understand that just because your grandmother didn't die doesn't mean you won't.


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## Grimm

mrsbuckeye said:


> What is your website - I'd like to check it out
> 
> Thanks
> Sherrie


Here you go.



kathyprepper said:


> The blog is www.justincasebook.wordpress.com and the website is preservingabundance.com. We are still under construction but I hope to have the pressure canning videos up and running in another 2 weeks.


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## jimLE

im glad that i came across this thread..i had seen some 1/2 gallon canning jars at the wal-mart i shop at..i had thought of dry foods for them,i plan on getting more pints and quarts.so i'll have a look at the 1/2 gallons when there tomorrow for our primary shopping for the month...


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## crabapple

Emerald said:


> I love my half gallons.. I do not can in them tho.. I use them for vacpacking dry goods that I use more often.. Like powdered sugar/brown sugar/honey/maple syrup and herbs.
> I also like them for sun tea for me just enuf for one day.
> I prefer wide mouth as they are much easier to clean but I have small mouth ones also..
> The $10.99 you found them at is a reasonable price as they are much more expensive around here.. more like$12.99 to $14 even for a six of the half gallons.


We use gallon jars for Ice Tea, but I like the pickle, the vacpack dry goods.
If we have figs & pear next year the way we did in pass years then drying will be helpful.


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## nanadabomb56

On Weds. 9/7/17, I bought 8 gal bottles and 12 1/2 gals. and 24 lids, the gals. are 8.75 for 4, the 1/2 gals. are 8.75 for 6 and 4.o5 for the reg lids and .35 per lid for the bottles, so about 30.00 for the whole lot. Love going to my Amish community


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