Doug Cherry

I've been reusing jars for years, commercial jam jars are designed to display the jam to it's best ability. Canning jars just aren't as revealing, somehow, being designed for sturdiness and reusability. Also the pickle jars (mostly originating in Europe) are reusable, however the lids are less durable, and vinegar or lacto-fermented pickles can rust through the lids. I have trouble replacing the lids as they are more easily damaged than the jars.
If anyone has a source for lids to 1L pickle jars I'd be interested, although I do seem to buy pickles or cooked beets often enough to replace the lids, I just hate throwing out jars.

Update. My elder continued to flower into October without fruiting as there wasn't another variety to pollinate it. However in late October it suddenly produced fruits, they are not yet ripe and may not be before the first frost. So either the other elder flowered (unlikely, as I would have seen it but this would indicate the growing conditions are responsible) or the cooler weather allowed self fertilization. I shall be saving the seeds if any viable ones are produced. I am also going to take lots of cuttings to try to propagate this elsewhere to see if flowering is extended still.

I've seen concrete used to fill a cup type hole, either waterproof cement or with a waterproof coat over the top.

Several years ago I purchased "Johns" and "Adams" on line, they weren't labeled and only one survived. I found a 1" seedling while foraging in Wisconsin and planted that next to what I think is Johns elderberry.
The first couple of years not much growth, then shot up and flowered in LATE OCTOBER! The following year it flowered at the normal time and I got a huge crop from both elders, the fruits were very similar in size of berry and bunch, the new one however flowered a while after the original, this year it started flowering in late June (as my Black Lace in the front garden was finishing flowering) and still has fresh flowers opening near the end of August, that's 2 full months of flowers. Is this normal? If it isn't it might be a good pollinator for other varieties, or genetic material for extending the harvest.

Slippery Jack's grow around pines.