I Grew My Own Sponges! Harvesting Loofah for the First Time

This Video is from the Youtube channel: “Homegrown Passion”. 

Wondering when to harvest loofah and how to turn it into a natural sponge? Today I'm harvesting my loofah gourds and taking you through the entire process — picking, peeling, cleaning, removing the seeds, washing and drying them until they become real usable loofah sponges.
And because this is my first year growing them, I'm trying something else too… I'm taking my finished loofah sponges to the farmers market to see if anyone will actually buy them!
I'll show you how I tell when a loofah is ready to harvest, the difference between processing a yellow/brown loofah and a greener one, how I loosen and remove the skin, how I clean out all those seeds, and how I'm drying the finished sponges with plenty of airflow.
One thing I've learned this year is that loofah doesn't always have to be completely brown before you can process it. The skin beginning to separate from the sponge inside, the weight of the fruit, firmness and maturity all help tell me which ones are ready and which ones need more time.
Then we're heading to the farmers market to find out whether all this work was actually worth it!
🌱 Want more Homegrown Passion?
❤️ Behind-the-scenes farm life and extra content on Patreon:

🌿 More gardening, hydroponics and farm adventures:
www.homegrownpassion.com
▶️ WATCH NEXT:

Thanks for spending some time with me here at Bradwood Farm. If you've ever grown loofah — or you're thinking about trying it next year — leave me a comment. I love hearing how everyone else grows and processes theirs!
#Loofah #LoofahSponge #Gardening

00:00 This Really Turns Into a Sponge?!
00:58 What Is a Loofah?
01:22 When Is Loofah Ready to Harvest?
02:25 Harvesting the Loofah Gourds
05:32 How to Peel Loofah
06:53 Green vs. Yellow Loofah
10:51 Washing & Cleaning the Sponges
11:23 How to Remove Loofah Seeds
14:16 Getting the Stubborn Seeds Out
16:56 Saving Loofah Seeds for Next Year
17:51 How I Dry Loofah Sponges
19:10 Ways to Use Natural Loofah
19:35 Did They Sell at the Farmers Market?
20:06 What I Learned Growing Loofah