OKAY! SO, I left one of the luffa gourds sitting on the counter. It turned brown and felt dry inside like it was supposed to do on the vine. I guess the plant stayed alive all this time because when I removed the skin (quite easy this time) the inside was almost completely dry. No mold or funny smells. The seeds were BLACK. I can't believe the seeds kept maturing so well in the gourd without sunlight or being attached to the plant. It's very neat, but now I have to see if the seeds sprout.