Do you work over 12 hours per day on your farm? If you don’t and you have spare time, there are endless options to diversify and add something small to your portfolio of crops. It may be for your own consumption, or something special you can use as gifts, or you can even earn extra income.
Recently, I came across one such crop, and frankly speaking, I paid attention only through my ignorance. I had the perception that sponges only grow in the sea. And I was wrong. It’s okay not to know everything, as long as you try to learn from it. Seeing a post from Melody Adams, a lady from Gambia was showing her first three homegrown sponges, I immediately commented on the post, careful not to revile my ignorance, and asked how she grew her sponges.
Melody, a small homestead farmer, as she identified herself, kindly referred me to some videos where I could learn about Luffa Gourds, and here is a short summary of what I learned.
Luffa Gourd is one of the tropical and subtropical vines in the pumpkin, squash, and gourd family. As Melody told me, it grows like a cucumber. It’s an annual plant and can only be propagated by seeds. It needs well-drained soil, with an optimal pH level of 6.0 – 6.5. Once flowering it must be pollinated to bear fruit. It will take 90 – 120 days to mature but should be left on the vine for 200 days to be harvested as a sponge.
Luffa is a common food item in Southeast Asia. Popular dishes from stir-fry to soups and salads are made with Luffa Gourd. But how does one eat a sponge?
Well, you don’t. The fruit is eaten at the stage when it is dark green. The skin is peeled off and the fruit is used in different types of dishes. If the fruit is left on the vine, it will dry up, turn almost white, and then brown in color.
At this stage you can squeeze the Luffa and the skin will crack and peel off, then you have left a light brown sponge filled with black seeds.
As you now see, the Luffa Gourd has many usages, food sources, skin scrubs, and home cleaning scrubs. You can use dried Luffa Gourd to create art projects and mixed media projects, mixing it with dried vines, seeds, and other items easily found in your fields or garden.
Luffa Gourd can add value to your operation in various ways. Even if you have a small area dedicated to a few plants, you can sell sponges to beauty salons, spas, and other health and beauty businesses, as well as to tourists. You can use the sponges as a giveaway to your clients and customers. And, of course, it can be eaten. Growing exotic plants or rare varieties of fruits and vegetables can be used as a door opener to acquire new customers.
Say you grow Luffa Gourd, Yellow Tomatoes, or Horned Cucumber. All are unusual and may be used to get the attention of customers. Exotic restaurants (remember, what is “exotic” in one place is common in another), may have a hard time finding authentic ingredients. If you have, but one, of these ingredients you may now have access to supply them with all types of fruits and vegetables you produce.
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