Saturday, February 6, 2010

The loofa and its use

The loofa's on sale on a spice stall in the Luxor Market (SOUK)
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one of several Old World tropical vines of the genus Luffa, having cylindrical fruit with a fibrous, spongelike interior. The dried, fibrous part of the loofa fruit, used as a washing sponge or as a filter.
I had seen a loofa plant before I came to Egypt while taking the shoe box presents around the village of Kitwi in the mountainous country on Kenya but that plant was small and only had a single fruit on . these plants in Egypt are abundant and seem to grow where ever there is a wall or a scrub tree to drape over this particular plant is hanging over a half of ones gate that is always closed. The lufer's can be bought all year round from the market stalls it seems this plant has flower and fruit at the same time so there fore or maybe it will just keep growing if looked after I,E not cut down.
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this one hidden in the undergrowth is about 2ft 6" long
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the lufer in seed but this one is rotting on the tree and will be of no use.

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this one if let to grow will make a good back scrubber its almost 2ft in length and is not yet ripe
it will expand in girth until the skin pops open. then picked and dried in the sun.
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