Product Review

Seed Overview

Luffa aegyptiaca - Open Pollinated. Also known as Dishrag Gourd, dried and used for making bath sponges. Some folks pick them young, steam and pan-fry them. In addition to being a scrubber and a comestible, this versatile gourd has been used to make soundproof wall boarding, to insulate army helmets, to stuff mattresses and saddles and even to make filters for steam engines and diesel motors! Tasty when cooked young like okra.

Producing a Luffa Sponge

When luffas are ripe their skins turn brown and dry and stems turn yellow. Check your plants frequently and harvest only ripe gourds. Full-sized fruit that are still green soft sponges that don't last. After the first killing frost remove any nearly ripe gourds to a warm well-ventilated place to allow them to dry. Gourds left wet for long will readily discolor. If the luffa has just ripened, gently squeeze and pop its skin. Break the blossom end cap and pull the sponge up the side of the gourd like a zipper. The sponge will pop out. Quickly rinse in water to prevent oxidation. If gourds are too dry to pop the sponge out, thoroughly soak in water for several days until the skin sloughs off leaving only the spongy fiber then shape and dry the sponge. Remove seeds before retting: cut open the larger end of the gourd and either shake or rinse out the seeds. Rinse luffas thoroughly in clean water and dry before use.