Loofah, aegyptiaca
Common names: Loofah, Luffa, Smooth Loofah, Sponge Gourd
Description: Looks a lot like a giant cucumber. This vine grows best in full sun with a fair amount of water and something to grow on, like a fence. It can grow as long a 30 feet and has beautiful bright yellow flowers 2-3 inches, and green fruit that grows up to 24 inches long and 3 inches in diameter.
Growing: The loofah does require a long growing season to allow the fruits to fully mature. It takes up to four months for a mature gourd to be harvested for use as sponges, and three months for immature gourds used for food. They are native to tropical Africa and Asia where the growing season is perfect, but for us here in the colder climate with much shorter growing seasons, we can get a head start by starting our seeds inside, and then later transplanting them out to the garden. I have noticed at first they are slow growing but once the fruit reaches about three inches watch out they just take off.
Usage: The Loofah has been known to be used as a dish or bath sponge and is edible as well when the fruit has not matured.
How to make a Loofah? Once the fruit has matured it is time to harvest. You will know the fruit has matured when it starts to turn brown, or after the first frost has killed the vine. After you have picked the fruit it's time to peel off all the outer skin. Now you need to get all the seeds out. To do this you need to squeeze them out, starting from the middle working your way to the ends repeatedly until all the substance inside, including all of the seeds are removed. Finally you will need to hang the loofah for a day or two to dry out. If the Loofah is too dark you can soak them for 5 minutes in warm water with a little bleach.
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