Archive through November 01, 2002
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TV ClubHouse: Archives: Loofah, Anyone?: Archive through November 01, 2002

Suitsmefine

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
This was my first year growing Loofah.....I have a question, Do you let them dry on the vine,or do you harvest and let them dry ? I ask because the weatherman says ( I know they hardly ever get it right)we could have a freeze this weekend. So what do I do with my loofahs?

Hillbilly

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:07 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Loofahs???? As in the loofah sponges for getting rid of dead skin? Why would you grow a crop of those?

Fanny

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:11 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Oh excuse me I thought that was the musical instrument that plays polkas.

Goddessatlaw

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:13 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'm confused about the proposition that loofahs are organic - I thought they were a manmade instrument of torture.

Weinermr

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:13 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Accordion to whom?

I have no loofah experience either. Stuff grows in my bathroom, but it isn't loofahs. Sorry Suitsmefine.

Hillbilly

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:15 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
"Loofah, one of the best exfoliants, is a sponge consisting of the fibrous skeleton of the fruit of the loofah plant. These cleansing sponges gently exfoliate your skin, removing dead cells to reveal healthy new ones and improve circulation of blood throughout the body. A mainstay in European spas and Asian baths, these sponges are renowned for their natural ability to heal your skin."

Suitsmefine

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:17 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Well , Hillbilly...that is what I CAN do, I grow things. So I was given a couple of seeds , I planted them they both came up and the vines covered the pool deck.The vines and flowers are beautiful, yet I ended up with about 20 of the loofahs!! Now I have no idea what to do with the things and the person who gave them to me has passed away. So, I sit here wondering what the heck to do with them!

Hillbilly

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:17 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Okay...this is pathetic! We're all sitting around on Friday night discussing 'loofah'.

Rabbit

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:18 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Move over SpongeBob, we have now have LoofahBilly.

Hillbilly

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:20 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Suits...think internet mail order business as a loofah salesperson. Or take them to a 'farmers market' some weekend and sell them there. Or you could open your own 'loofah' spa...the first in your community. Just throw in some ole red Arkansas mud and you have the 'Suitsmefine Mud and Loofah Spa of Arkansas'.

Suitsmefine

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:21 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I did research on crafty things to do with the loofahs, BUT NO INFO. ON HOW TO DRY THE DERN THINGS!!!!

Weinermr

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:21 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
"Loofah is a great choice to grow on a back fence or wall. Just give them plenty of room! The big leaves, with their splashes of silver, are showy. The flowers are attractive to people and insects. The immature fruits, 3-6" in length, can be stir-fried whole or sliced, or they can be grated and used in soups and omelets. Larger fruits (4-6") will need to be peeled because the skin becomes bitter. Allowed to mature on the vine until they start turning brown and their stems yellow, loofahs are easy to peel for use as back scrubbers or kitchen pot scrubbers. Wait until the outer skin is dry and brown, then peel it off and shake out the seeds. Some people soak the dry loofahs in water for a few days to make it easier to peel off the skin. After they're peeled, we like to soak the sponges in a weak solution (10:1) of household bleach to make them nice and white. Even with regular use, loofah sponges last for months, rubbing bodies or dishes. Loofahs are used as filters, too, and an edible oil is pressed from the seeds.

Ridged loofah (Luffa acutangula), or "vine okra", is a similar species which has white flowers and produces gourds that are ridged with ten angles. Vine okra is harder to peel for the sponge, but in the southern U.S. at least, it is more popular as a food crop. Both species of Luffa are very popular vegetables in China. In addition to the immature fruits, the Chinese also eat the young shoots, leaves and flower buds. In fact, fried gourd flowers are quite a delicacy, and the raw flowers are a nice addition to tossed salads."

Urgrace

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:23 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
A bunch of loofah watching loafers!

Weinermr

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
It's better than sitting around trying to give some guy advice on what floor shade to pick.

Oooops. Never mind.

Goddessatlaw

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:25 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
You can eat the damn things too? What is this world coming to?

Suitsmefine

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:26 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Well, golly Weinermr, TY I didn't realize I could have been frying all those little parts!But if I leave them on the vine and it does freeze will it ruin them? Hillbilly, if I do open this spa, Will you be taking a lifetime membership?

Weinermr

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:26 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
That way you can exfoliate from the inside out.

Goddessatlaw

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:28 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Fiber . . ..

Suitsmefine

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:28 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
EWWWWW!!!!!!

Suitsmefine

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:30 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hillbilly, should we put corn cobs in the powder rooms?LOL

Suitsmefine

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:34 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Anyone need a loofah?

Goddessatlaw

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:37 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hell, ya, send me some - trying to keep a few steps ahead of the landslide on my elbows and knees. This heading for 40 sh*t is for the birds.

Scootersmom

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:37 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Suits...since you mentioned corncobs, do you put them in "powder rooms"??
out

Suitsmefine

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:42 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Scootersmom, Well since Hillbilly wanted an Arkie Spa I thought it should be authentic!!!LOL!!!Goddess, I'm sliding right along with you 40 comes this month for moi!!!

Goddessatlaw

Friday, November 01, 2002 - 05:44 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
OMG, Suits - let us pray . . . I have to think that actually hitting forty has to be alot less painful than dreading it (like 30, for me). Kind of a relief - get it behind us and move on.