What's that big green thing?

I was at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens with my kids last summer when I noticed this huge green fruit hanging from a climbing vine.  I'd never seen anything like it before.  It was too big to be a cucumber or a zucchini.  Thankfully I looked down and there was a description - it was a luffa!  I didn't even realize that a luffa was a plant.  Apparently I'm not the only one who has made that mistake.  My Mom shared with me that a fellow science teacher she worked with once held up a luffa as an example of a sea sponge.  After class my Mom kindly corrected her.

Whenever I see something new and interesting that you can grow or raise, I get an itch to try it for myself!  And so, this has been the year of the luffa.

I got online and ordered some seeds (no luffa seeds at Pikes or Home Depot).  They came in the mail back in April.

 

The vines started growing up our "growing fort" and out came these lovely, cheerful flowers.

 And there they are!  I was so excited when I saw these massive gourds start to droop down from the trellis.  They are quite slow growing, so all summer long I watched them get a little bigger, and a little bigger.

 The frost finally zapped them and we were able to start peeling off the outer shell.  Vera and her new cousin (who she adores), 10 year old Sarah, enjoyed opening up this luffa.

Even Silas has helped me peel them.  Some of the skins are tough to remove.  This is one of the longest growing crops I think I've ever planted.  What started in April is finally finished in December! 

Here is a picture of some of our "winter crop" - dried okra and luffas.  The okra have made some nice Santa ornaments, and the luffas can be used in the bath or kitchen... how cool is that!?