Tuesday, November 7, 2023

About those loofahs

 The Sasquatch started some loofah seeds inside in the spring and we planted the seedlings by my screen porch.

Since loofah vines are climbers, the Sasquatch tied some mesh netting up to the top porch rail and staked it near the base of the plants.

We waited and watched for the vines to start climbing but they were taking some time to settle in.

Once the growth started, the vines practically raced up the netting.

Here is a photo from August. Pretty yellow blooms but fruits were just beginning to form.



This picture is from an upstairs window in September.

Long vines!

This was the first time we have grown loofahs but from what the Sasquatch read online...they should be picked before the first frost.

So here is the harvest. Ideally, they should have started browning a bit on the vine but I guess these had a bit of a late start in growing.

Still, we were both surprised at how large some grew!



The Sasquatch took care of the task of peeling, de-seeding and rinsing the sponges.


This is the final result.


Some of the smaller loofahs were a bit soft but those will be fine for using as body sponges.  The stiffer thicker ones can be used as dish scrubbers.

The loofahs were fun to grow. Not bothered by any pests.
The Sasquatch saved seeds for next year's crop.





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