Rub A Dub Dub

This spring we planted luffa gourds again.  Luffas are prolific producers and make a gazillion seeds.  We grow them every few years and use them as well as giving them to people as gifts.  As a kid I was taught to use a wash rag in the bath tub and get plenty of soap suds on the rag and scrub real good to get dirt and grime off.  I'll tell ya something that works better than a wash rag - a luffa gourd.

I planted three seeds next to a trellis I made in the garden using two t-posts and a length of hog wire.  The luffas germinated and grew like a bad weed, vining and filling with pretty yellow blooms. The following two photos were taken in the spring.  (The rest were taken last week):

In no time luffa gourds filled the trellis, weighing down the vines.  I read that when the gourds are very young, you can eat them like cucumbers, but I've never tried.  I'm growing them for the sponge - not to eat.  We grow cucumbers to eat.

Check out the lizard hanging out on the luffa!

In time the luffas turn dark green or brown and that's when it is time to harvest them.

The skin of the luffa takes a little work to remove.  I start peeling it away, pulling on the outer skin to expose the inner sponge-like portion.

This is what it looks like when the outer skin is completely removed.  If you look closely, you can see something black inside.  Those are seeds.  Hundreds and hundreds of seeds in each one.  The seeds will all come out of the bottom if you bang the gourd on your hand or a brick or the sidewalk.

I always save a few for next year, but always have many, many extras.  If you'd like some luffa seeds, let me know.  I'll be glad to give you some.

Freshly peeled gourds can be a little damp.  I always lay the gourds in the sunshine and let them dry out for a few days, turning them from side to side so they dry out evenly.

Once dry, I make up a solution of bleach-water in a 5 gallon bucket and soak the luffa gourds in the bucket of bleach.

After a day, I pull the bleached luffas out of the bucket and let them dry out on the patio.

Once they are dry, I will cut each one of them in half.  I'll put one in the shower.  If you take soap and rub it on the luffa, it is similar to a washrag.  The luffa softens somewhat when it gets wet, but maintains a rough texture that scrubs and exfoliates skin.  When done simply wash the soap off, stand the luffa up on one end so it dries between uses.  If you want, you can freshen it from time to time with bleach.  It will last for quite a while - months and months of CLEAN.  Rub a dub dub!