There's also a Harvest Forum (for canning, etc.) -- you might try there if you haven't already....

Here is a link that might be useful: GardenWeb Harvest Forum

DON'T DO IT!!! DON'T DO IT!!! DON'T DO IT!!!

I apologise for the shouting caps, but I really don't think you should EVER use a container larger than a one-quart jar. The USDA currently only recommends using a 1/2 gallon jar only for juices, and only very acidic ones at that. (I don't know what their definition of 'very acidic' is, though.) You wouldn't want to use a 1/2 gallon jar for any solid foods: no vegetables, and certainly NEVER any low acid foods which would require a pressure canner.

The rationale for this policy is simple: a boiling water bath only kills botulism spores in an acidic environment. You need both heat AND acid. Given the mass of the jar, it's quite possible that the heat won't penetrate the inside of the jar sufficiently well enough to kill the botulism spores.

Lest you think I'm a nervous nellie about food, I'm not, really; I love good raw oysters (if I know the source), and I eat ethnic foods on vacation in restaurants whose sanitation might be a bit questionable. But you don't mess around with botulism. I'm a pretty experienced canner--I make and can all my own chicken broth, for instance, and it's a heck of a lot better than any commercial product. You can follow USDA guidelines for processing that and be fairly well assured that the product won't kill you. But if they recommend against something (as they do concerning the 1/2 gallon jars) I'm certainly not going to pretend I know more than they do.

Let's see: using a 1/2 gallon jar, that means I only have half as many jars to fill, process, store and clean prior to re-use. The downside is a more-than-negligible chance I could get botulism.

And botulism isn't like ordinary food poisoning where you have wicked gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhea, but usually pull through with enough fluids. The botulism toxin causes paralysis, and you stop breathing and DIE.

Please do this: do a Google search using these terms: "1/2 gallon canning jars food safety", and also check out the link below on botulism poisoning. If you STILL decide to use the larger jars, all I can say is: make sure your will is in order! :)

Bon Appetit!

Arley

Here is a link that might be useful: botulism

Apple and grape juices are the ONLY thing the conservative US Govt. considers suitable for using.

A little OT... I'd love to come across those half-gallon jars for storage of dry stuff. Found a whole care of 1.5 quart jars at a yard sale (for CHEAP) and scooped them up for storing things like rice, small pasta, grains.

I was wondering about canning in 1/2 gallon jars when I found this answer here. My mother and grandmothers (both) used them to can juice that would later be made into jelly. Now my daughter uses some to store the above mentioned things and beans. The different foods look really nice on her counter top, decorative as well practical. My uses involve transporting foods to family get-to-gathers and eating meetings at church. No worry about spills in case of sudden stops like you would have if the food was still in the pot!

So I'll reframe from canning in them and continue to use them as storage/transport containers.

If you're looking for a source for them, you can order them online but the shipping will kill you. An easier source is to talk to the manager of your local True Value; while these half gallon jars are not usually on the shelves, they'll be happy to order them for you and you don't pay any shipping. (The store just adds them to the regular order going to the store.) Order more than you think you need, because the ones I have tended to sprout legs and walk. I just checked on truevalue.com; they have a case of 6 half gallon jars for $11.49 with free ship-to-store.

Other hardware stores may have a similar program.

My true value had them on the shelves so I bout a case of six for travel use and keep my old jars for my dry beans and chocolate chips and nuts and dehydrated food so they never leave the house.. I seal them with my Food Saver vacuum sealer using the attachment for fruit jars. You can get regular and large mouth attachments.