Rarely, if ever, do folks can in half gallon jars anymore. But if you have a large family canning in this size jar will be handy. This could be a touchy subject for some because the USDA hasn’t approved the canning times on anything other than Grape and Apple Juice because those are the most commonly canned products in half gallon jars.
I stumbled across this chart, verified some processing times based on what I have learned in past experiences and have kept this chart handy for future canning needs. I have found the list below helpful; it saves a lot of time in calculating proper canning times.
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
On this chart, BW means processed in boiling water bath and 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, stewed add 10 mins
Tomato juice BW 25 min
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 min
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 INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND YOU USE SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK, AS WITH ALL CANNING RECIPES.
Preserving the Good Life 
When canning green beans raw packing 2 teaspoons of salt I’m using half-gallon jars how long do I need to process at 10#’s pressure? Thank you 🙏🏻
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I have processed green beans in 1/2gallon jars for years with good turn out. I cold pack, fill with water, put on lids and rings. Hand Tighten.
Process on 10lbs pressure for 40 minutes. Turn off let cool . No problems for me.
This is only for information. I take no reasonibly for anything.
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I started a garden and have MONSTER size cukes. I always make pickles but dont want to sluce these. Have ypu canned half gallon jars with kosher dill pickles and if so, what do you use tp water bath them?
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I have used an old lard bucket. This is like a really big stock pot. I now use my presto pressure canner. It is deep enough to have the jars covered in water. I get 4 1/2 gallon jars in the canner. Put up tomato juice/sauce and pickles. Hope this helps
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Which Presto pressure canner are you using? I want to purchase one large enough to hold my 1/2 gallon jars.
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I have the 1/2 gallon amber jars and was so worried I wouldn’t be able to safely use them. I hope this chart is safe and correct as I wanted to try to do beets and maybe bean soup. Has anyone done bean or veggie soup in the 1/2gallon? Thank you for this post!!!
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We can vegetable soup and vegetable beef soup in half gallons every year.
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Interesting. I want to do that as well. Did you WB or PC?
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I pressure canned both with and without beef.
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This was a great help. I knew my mom and grandmother always used 1/2 gallon jars for soups and strews. Doubling the time for quarts to 1/2 gallon seemed to be too much! That would be 3 hrs at 11#. I also cooked the meat till just pink to get excess juice out and place my own broth and veges. I’m in the process of canning them right now.
Other question if anyone knows, electric stove, it’s very hard to keep it at 11 #. It goes up to 13 and then down to 11. I have it right at 12. How will this effect it?
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What’s the time on half balloon jars for raw pack chicken soap
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We have a lot of 2 qt jars going to see have much of a whole chicken will fit
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What size pot do you use for half gallons? These jars are too tall for my canners and I feel it’s a waste to can cranberry juice in quarts. I’ll drink the whole thing at once.
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I use a restaurant style, BIG commercial sized, stock pot
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Reblogged this on Momentary Lapse Of Sanity.
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just came across this …well I was given some large jars 1/2 gallon and I thought what can I use them for ? Yesterday I used them for vegetable stock and today I am doing Spaghetti sauce, I assumed to take the 3 pint time and times it by 4 ? Maybe this is why I had a hard time finding ways to can this etc ! I hope they are ok because this is two days worth of work
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EXCELLENT information and self explanatory too. Thanks.
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I am new to canning. I would like to can bone broth in 1/2 gallon jars. How much pressure in my canner and for how long?
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