14 September 2007 Loofah for Sponges. http://kazei.notlong.com/ 14 September 2007 Luffa aegyptiaca Common Names: loofah, luffa, smooth loofah, sponge gourd, vegetable sponge. Family: Cucurbitaceae (pumpkin Family). There are two trellis's in the garden, with a total of 12 large fruiting bodies on four plants. Sponges will be made when the fruit turns yellow and are dry. These plants require a growing season of about six or more months, so I start them in the greenhouse in February. The mesh size of the trellis is 6 inches, so the size of the fruiting body can be determined approximately from viewing the photographs. I still have sponges from two years ago. Apparently the fruit can be cooked and eaten, but I have never tried them. http://www.durgan.org/Blog/Durgan.html Ontario, Zone "5"
Durgan, What do you do to the fruit to create the sponges? How do you remove the flesh? Do you simply wait until the fruit is yellow then dry? Are luffa as easy to grow as other gourds?
Have a look at this thread. Full explanatiopn for 2006 is depicted. http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=23500&highlight=Durgan+Loofah http://www.durgan.org/Blog/Durgan.html
http://xrl.us/q438 Sponge Making. A picture is worth a thousand words. The pictures are annotated as to the operation, which is being depicted. Gourds are ripened on the vine and quite dry before attempting to make the sponge. The flesh is the sponge when dried. Under the right conditions Luffa grow as well as most gourds. The season required from germination to drying of the fruit is quite long -six months or more, depending upon the climate. http://www.durgan.org/Blog/Durgan.html