A few luffa seeds give life to a new connectedness with nature

I have a new companion in my life, a luffa plant, also called sponge cucumber, that has taken up residence in my apartment, sitting in a pot on my balcony.

A few weeks ago when I first set eyes on it, it was merely a few seeds in the courtyard of my parents' home in Anhui province. In that courtyard my mother grows loquats, flowers, luffa and a few other vegetables.

The luffa is a nice vegetable that has this very distinct characteristic: In cooking you can use it when it is young, stir-frying it with Chinese fried bread sticks, or making soup with it. If you wait for it to become fully ripe it becomes fibrous and can be used as a flannel or towel in both kitchen and bathroom.