16 November 2023 , 17:06
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Most people know that loofahs are natural bathroom sponges and a lot of people assume they come from the sea. But a woman who posts her loofah-growing enterprise on has blown peoples' minds after sharing how she grows them in her garden in Texas.
In her clip, Vanessa said: “Loofah does not grow in the ocean, it grows on a vine like this”, her voiceover said on her video - as it showed footage of a green loofah ripening on a vine. “This grew in the dead heat of Texas summer.”
“This didn’t dry on the vine, I picked it green and this is what they look like.” She said holding up a loofah-shaped pod with a tough skin. “This is actually a Ridge Gourd loofah can you see it has ridges so it’s going to be a pain in the a** to peel,” she said.
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She chops one end of the dried pod and reveals the loofah texture inside, “There’s a sponge in there.” Venessa exclaims as she tips the seeds inside out into a bowl. “One loofah could grow a football field of loofah vines.”
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“So it was suggested to me that I boil the loofah or at least soak them for a while and it totally worked. It was super gross but then the skin just flopped right off.” She holds up the skinless loofahs that look exactly like the ones you buy from expensive department stores.
“I was left with beautiful loofah sponges I can use in the shower or to do my dishes with and they’re completely compatible and all-natural. And make a pretty good Christmas gift too,” she said. The majority of TikTok viewers admitted they had no idea that's where loofahs came from. One commented: "Wait....loofah is grown and not made?"
"This was the year I found out that loofah came from a plant," another added. "Write this down in the list of things I didn't know and feel weird about," a third admitted. Well you learn something new every day," someone else commented.
"I was 46-years-old when I learned loofahs aren't from the sea!!" another added, to which someone else replied that some do. My mum grows them! I thought they were massive zucchinis at first," someone else wrote.