A tasty alternative: loofah

You may be familiar with loofah sponges, also called luffa, but a loofah vine’s usefulness goes far beyond the shower. The leaves, fruit, flowers and seeds are all edible. The young gourds (less than 17cm long) have a mild flavour and are a great substitute for zucchini, okra or cucumbers. The leaves can be added to salads or cooked as you would spinach. My favourite recipe is for stuffed loofah: cut the fruit in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and stuff with a savoury mix of fried vegetables before baking. 

If you are growing loofah for sponges, they are ready to harvest when the stem yellows and the skin starts to dry and become brittle. The sponges are prepared by cutting the loofah from the vine, removing the dry outer skin, shaking out the seeds and leaving the fruit in the sun to finish drying. The later you leave the loofah before picking, the coarser the resultant sponge is likely to be. 

Both the Egyptian loofah (Luffa aegyptiaca) and Chinese okra (L. acutangula) can be grown. In warmer areas, this vegie is best grown from seed sown directly in early spring. The seeds have a tough casing and germination can take two to three weeks. The fruit will be ready to harvest after two to six months. This vigorous vine must have full sun and a sturdy trellis but will tolerate a wide range of soil types and minimal watering in the subtropics. 

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