MƯỚP HƯƠNG (SMOOTH LUFFA GOURD)

From TrueLoveSeeds. Purchased in 2024.

Description and growing instructions below from TrueLoveSeeds.

Mướp Hương is a luffa gourd that is popularly eaten in many cultures including Vietnamese and Southeast Asian cuisine. It is harvested young (12-14 inches) while the skin is soft. Peel off the green skin and use the white flesh for delicious soups and stir fries that cool the body. Let it get old and dry on the vine and it can be used as a scrubbing luffa for dishes or your body. Vines grow best in warm climates and on a trellis to crawl and climb.

Also known as: dishcloth gourd, vegetable gourd, scented melon, melon pillow, smooth luffa, edible luffa, Egyptian cucumber, Vietnamese luffa, and loofah.

PLANTING / HARVESTING NOTES

Pre-soak seeds in warm water for 24 hours. Sow them indoors, four weeks before the last frost, 1/2" deep. Transplant after all danger of frost has passed. Loves full sun and warm soils. Long season crop.

This luffa is grown for food and for sponges. Harvest the young, tender fruit for cooking or for salad. You can also eat the flower buds, shoots, and young leaves. For sponges, harvest once the fruit has dried on the vine and peel away the skin after dying completely.