Sponge Luffa

APPEARANCE: These are dark green melons of the same dumbbell shape as a fuzzy melon but fatter, often only twice as long as broad. Their skin is rough and marked with wide-spaced, dark stripes running from stem to base. They often reach market with a shriveled flower still attached at one end.

QUALITY: Select unblemished fruits, the smaller and younger the better.

COMMENTS: This is the fruit whence cometh luffa sponges. To produce a sponge, fruits are left to mature on the vine; as they mature, the flesh becomes tough and fibrous. When thoroughly dry the skin is peeled away and the seeds removed from the central cavities, leaving the tough scratchy sponge of commerce.