Mướp Hương' Vegetable Loofah

Luffa aegyptiaca Origin: Vietnam Improvement status: Landrace Seeds per packet: ~15 BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED Life cycle: Annual Mướp Hương is the Vietnamese name for the smooth luffa gourd popular as a vegetable in many tropical places, especially in Southeast Asia. Fruits are usually consumed when young (up to around a foot in length or a bit more), but the fully ripe fruit can make a good scrubbing brush as other luffas. When eaten as a vegetable, the skin is usually peeled first. The tender insides are used in soups, stirfries, and — especially in China and Taiwan — as a traditional filling ingredient for dumplings. Our seed was grown by our friends Corrie and Jose Spellman-Lopez in Vineland, New Jersey. They got their stock seed from the great folks at Truelove Seeds who note on their website the many names that this vegetable bears: "dishcloth gourd, vegetable gourd, scented melon, melon pillow, smooth luffa, edible luffa, Egyptian cucumber, Vietnamese luffa, and