Pickling recipes are safe only with approved canning jars and lids and only for pts and qts. Half gallon jars and gallon jars must be refrigerated, and a boiling water bath is not approved no matter how long you do it. Refigerate them.

The only way you can "know" if your home canned goods are safe to consume is to have them tested for bacteria after they were processed and after they were in storage (when bacteria has a chance to grow into a toxin). As home-canners we don't have that capability, so we need to increase the safety by using tested recipes in the jar sizes suggested, and the tested amount of time for processing, is how we improve the chances the foods remain safe to consume after processing and throughout storage. You decrease the safety each time you alter the recipe with ingredients (which can change the pH), by doubling the recipes, or using the incorrect size jars and/or processing times.

There are no foods suggested for canning in gallon jars, and the only ones suggested for 1/2-gallon jars are grape juice and apple juice, according to the manufacturers of the jars. It's impossible, without testing, to know if you got the correct amount of heat penetration for a proper amount of time to kill bacteria in that much food.

The commercial one-trip jars, reusing the lids that came with them, are also suspect for safe canning. You can't be sure there was enough sealing compound left on the lids to seal properly not only during processing, but also during storage even if they did seal during processing.

The suggested clearance for the water over the jars in a BWB is 1-2 inches. If you have a Ball Blue Book, you can read all of this information in the front of the book.

Since there isn't a processing time for 1/2-gallon jars, I would consider your first batch in 1/2-gallon jars suspect for safety. You are playing "canning roulette" and you'll have to decide what's safe and unsafe according to food safety standards for these canned goods.

I'd suggest you go to the link below and take the "Preserving Food At Home" Self-Study Canning Coarse at the National Center for Home Food Preservation. I also suggest you call the Family and Consumer Sciences County Extension Agent at your County Cooperative Extension Office for some up-to-date canning information and to discuss your particular questions and how to handle them.

I'm so sorry you went to all that work and didn't use safe methods. We all have to live and learn occasionally. All may not be lost and the County Extension Agent may have some suggestions to help salvage your canning day experience.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: National Center for Home Food Preservation

sorry, Ilana, I agree. Gallon jars are not approved for home canning. The jars are so big that the heat cannot necesarily penetrate quickly/evenly enough. I'd be using those quickly.

I know people who reuse the jar and lids from commercial products. Lids are too cheap for me to risk spoilage of something I spent time and money on, so I don't. I also know people who reuse the commercial "flats". Again, it's something I don't do, the loss of food product would be more expensive than the lids. Now, IF I were going to reuse lids and jars, I'd be saving them for jam, which is a relatively "safe" product. I do reuse commercial jars if canning lids fit. Yes, I know it's not "recommended". Whatever. I have no more breakage or seal failure with those than I do with the regular canning jars. And I have some jars that are at least 40 years old, and I still use those too, with a careful check of the sealing surface for chips and a visual inspetion for cracks and nicks. Hey, when they're that old, stuff happens to them.

If your jars were covered by an inch of water it's enough, but just barely. I'd be finding a different rack or different pot. Then again, if you are only canning approved sizes, i.e. pints/quarts/half pints/etc., maybe you'll have more clearance?

The discoloration of the jar lid only means that you had some leakage of brine before sealing. It happens, and is not an indicator of safety.

I suggest immediate consumption of the refrigerated pickles. You can safely reprocess within 24 hours, but I suppose you are past that time.

A Ball Blue Book only costs $5 or so, I'd definitely get one. It gives you canning times and jar sizes, trouble shooting, methods, basic recipes. I do find the recipes to be very basic and not all of them are good, but just the time/processing guidelines are well worth the $5.

Annie

Thank you everyone for all your advice. I have left a message with the County extension office and am awaiting a reply.

Annie, I do have a Blue Book. Maybe I should reread it.

I follow canning recipes to the "t" and never double just make multiple batches but I totally missed the jar size note. I did not realise that the size of the jar made a difference but I completely understand the science of it so now I am well aware and won't do it again. Any ideas what else to use 1/2 gallon jars for LOL? I have 12!

Since the original recipe that Chase posted does not call for BWB but only refrigeration, I mentioned that in my message for the agent.

So, while I have it all in the fridge now, it looks like I might be tossing the gallon and 1/2 gallon jars or if the agent says it's OK, using them up first.

Can I assume the qts and pts will be OK and save them for last?

The quarts and pints should be fine. And now I'm going to tell you that your extension agent probably won't approve Chase's recipe either.

Canning recommendations in the U.S. are different than canning recommendations in the rest of the world. Canada is a bit more relaxed on methods and the ratio of vinegar in brine. So, that recipe is fine in Canada, "not recommended" here.

Now, I make it all the time. I know the recommendations and the risks, which I think are small/miniscule enough that I'm willing to take the "risk". That's a personal decision that everyone has to make, the government doesn't get to make it for us, they can only recommend that we take no risk at all.

Chase's dills are a favorite here and I think they've been consumed at one time or another by a majority of the posters on this forum, so you have to decide what you want to do about that.

You know, you could just call me. (grin)

Annie

Use your 1/2 gallon jars for dry storage! Beans, pasta, rice, etc.

I wouldn't hesitate to refrigerate those you've already done and eat them (same as making "quick refrigerator pickles" for speedy consumption), but not stored on the shelf.

I'll second Annie's comments regarding Chase's Dills.
I make them.
I eat them.
I understand the recipe is not approved in the U.S.
I accept the risk.

Deanna

In defense of Canadian food preservation standards, Bernardin follows the same USDA standards and scientific testing procedures as Ball/NCHFP stateside. Their recipes may differ but not their approach to safety.

AFAIK, Chase's Dills (and this is by no means a criticism of that recipe) isn't "approved" by Canadian standards either. It's an old country recipe which given the low ratio of vinegar to water probably originally used a 10% or 15% vinegar rather than today's 5%.

Chase's Dills are 3:1 water to vinegar. Bernardin's is 4:3 water to vinegar, which is a significant difference.

I doubt BWB makes much difference one way or another with Chase's recipe. In fact, a good argument could be made that keeping some air in the jars is beneficial.

I grew up with a very similar unprocessed pickle recipe so I understand the fondness. Everyone decides for themselves how they want to handle any putative risk. In this case, unless you have immune issues it probably isn't great.

You could probably achieve similar flavor with future batches without changing the proportions by adding citric acid, though I haven't worked out the proportions. The Ball dill pickle mix calls for a high ratio of water to vinegar but there's citric acid in the packet, which is how they get around the problem.

Carol

I use my half gallon jars to make fermented pickles and sauerkraut. I store them in the fridge after the fermentation is done.

In fact, a good argument could be made that keeping some air in the jars is beneficial.

Carol, can you tell me some more about that?

I'm with Deanna
I'll third Annie's comments regarding Chase's Dills.
I make them.
I eat them.
I understand the recipe is not approved in the U.S.
I accept the risk.

Linda