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For some years, I have wild fermented unripe cherry plums, and been utmost satisfied with the result. This year, I repeat the process, now with some variations. I try to put some raw beetroot pieces into one of the glasses for red-coloured plums ferment. I put French tarragon in two glasses, one of which is fermented in kombucha.
Since I had to cut my Syrian rose slightly, I searched for it on the web and found, that it is edible. The buds are about the size of cherry plums, leading me to wild ferment a batch of them. Never read about anyone fermenting Syrian rose, could be wonderful.
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My recipe for success:
Lactic acid fermentation. Prick the Cherry plums with a fork. Add herbs or beet pieces and cover it all in a cold 5% saline brine. Now, keep it a warm room temperature to start the wild fermentation. Let it bubble happy for a week or two, then relocate to a cool pantry. Fermentation develops gases that have to escape. In glasses release the lid shortly on a daily base (at longer intervals, when little gas is released). When I use plastic boxes (food grade), I use an extra box as lid an weight. It works very well, keeping the Cherry plums (or other ferments) neatly under the fluid, leaving a narrow space where gasses can escape. The bubbles seems to make enough turmoil to prevent mould from growing in the first most microbial active weeks. When I transfer them to a glass later, I can pack cherry plums closer, it saves space. And I don’t have to release the lid so many times.
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Fermenting in kombucha will probably be shorter than the lactic ferments. As I close the lid, only releasing pressure once a day there will be little oxygen available. I expect the kombucha culture to only develop a little under these conditions, enough to make a thin SCOBY on top, as a kind of interior lid. This may cause, a secondary fermentation, either alcoholic or lactic. The first time I saw a secondary wild fermentation, I was a little frightened. It was the spring shoots of Hosta. But the result was good and mild tasting. Now I have to wait and see how the plums in kombucha develops.
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When wild fermenting flower buds of Syrian rose, I decided to use the box method. From the taste of the raw flower buds, I guess they are very nutritious. All this nutrients can feed a powerful fermentation, with lots of gasses, a stormy fermentation. With the box-method no gasses will build up, but are continuous released.
Now my patience is put to test – I want to taste, but must wait.
In the toad's garden 
July 29, 2014 at 09:20
interesting /muy interesante
July 29, 2014 at 21:15
Thanks Selmo!
December 3, 2015 at 04:12
Very interesting. You are very creative with wild fermentation and I hope you will discuss what you think of your results after some months.
December 5, 2015 at 15:48
I found, that I prefer cherry plum fermented alone. In autumn they are crisp and like sodapops on the tongue. After Christmas they get softer, no more crisp feeling on the tongue, but an almond aroma leeks out of the kernels. Very yummy. At this point it is also easy to take out the stones with the devise used for cherries.
The tarragon was OK, but not an improvement.
The beet gave off an interesting colour, but at the same time seeped an earthy taste into the cherry plums. I like them for giving interest to my fermented cherry plums, not for the taste.
They Syrian Rose flower buds developed a fairly strong taste, they are probably very nutritious. The sepals was soft and mucous, a bit like okra. The stalk and tepals hard, more like a handle for the tender sepals. This is not a thing to eat in a hurry, more a snack to enjoy with some kind of drink, like herb infused kombucha.