Did you ever wonder why we include Roma tomatoes in several of our gourmet hiking meals? Well, we’re happy to solve that mystery for you. Roma tomatoes, for the uneducated, are those oblong fruits—yes, tomatoes are classified as a fruit—with a thick, meaty, drier flesh that cooks down to make ideal, thick sauces and pastes as well as soups.
Nutritionally, our favorite tomato contains vitamins A, B and C and lycopene, which is responsible for the red color in a variety of tomatoes. The benefits of this powerful antioxidant include lowering cholesterol and fighting and repairing cell damage. And let’s not forget potassium, iron and fiber. So consuming Roma tomatoes benefits the heart, the digestive system and our cells.
Naturally, we can’t forget taste. The Roma tomato enhances salsas and fresh salads, and it lends itself to omelets and other cooked and raw applications. The versatile fruit can be successfully dried, baked, stuffed or slow roasted. It works well with a range of herbs and foods, including shrimp, beans, cheeses and chilis. And better yet, cooking them tends to sweeten Roma tomatoes. What’s not to love?
Sometimes we forget the little things in life and how important they are. It’s just a tomato, right? Or is it one small thing that appeals to the eye and makes life somehow better? As you explore the wondrous forest, we hope you find many such treasures. Maybe it will be an unusual leaf or a Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog. Perhaps it will be a fragrance—the smell of pine needles or wild lilacs.
This is our best advice: Be open to anything, whether you see it, hear it, feel it, smell it or sense it. This is your adventure, and there’s no limit on what you can get out of it, tomato-wise or otherwise.
