Every Saturday morning, before the sun fully crests over the hills, Old Town Temecula begins to stir with life. Vendors pull back the canopies of their stalls, baskets of produce are lined up in neat rows, and the aroma of roasted coffee mingles with the sweetness of fresh fruit. It’s more than a farmers market—it’s a gathering place where stories are exchanged as often as recipes, and where culture is passed down through every crop, bouquet, and jar.
This month, as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, the spotlight shines on the many Hispanic growers whose journeys bring them here each week. For them, farming is not only about food but also about identity, perseverance, and sharing pieces of home with their community.
Flowers with a Legacy
Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers will be celebrating its tenth anniversary as participants in the Old Town Temecula Farmers Market. Rosie Resendiz launched their presence at the market with the goal of sharing California-grown, fresh-cut flowers with the local community. They offer an extensive selection of protea, pincushions, banksia, kangaroo paws, Leucadendron, filler flowers, and foliage.
“Over the years, we’ve cultivated a loyal customer base who return regularly for our one-of-a-kind custom bouquets. I take great pride in personally designing these arrangements while customers shop, ensuring each bouquet is tailored to their preferences. I’m grateful to my father, whose dedication to growing these beautiful South African and Australian flowers makes it all possible,” Resendiz said.
Ismael Resendiz’s career within the floral industry began when he and his brothers immigrated to California in 1977. Their background had been in farming in different parts of Mexico. Ismael took on a temporary position as a farmhand at Zorro Protea Farms, discovering his passion for flowers and plants. With time, he became the manager and employed members of his family. Two experienced protea growers, Howard Asper Sr. and Dr. Peter Sacks, would also teach them all that they knew.
Dr. Sacks and Ismael would then become partners of a ten-acre property, now known as Rainbow Crest. It is a small community in Northern San Diego County, often considered a part of Fallbrook, containing the perfect soil conditions and climate for expanding growing grounds. Today, it houses some of California’s most beautiful proteas, pincushions, and Leucadendron. Though Zorro Protea Farms would close its doors, the Resendiz’s passion endured as they founded their own business, Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers. Their goal has remained unchanged for years, to provide the freshest floral products for every customer. For the holiday season, they feature a festive selection of handcrafted arrangements, including pumpkin displays, cornucopias, holiday centerpieces, and wreaths. Each one is made with farm-fresh flowers.
Healing Through Produce
From San Luis Obispo County, another accomplished farmer sells her produce at the Old Town Temecula Farmers Market. When her son veered from his initial plans of attending college and instead joined the army, his absence weighed heavily on her heart. To combat her sadness, she followed through on his suggestion to start something that she liked.
Her business began with selling blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she expanded her line of produce to include flavorful zucchinis, tomatoes, and eggs. She grows strawberries in her yard, which she uses to create her own jams. Her customers confirm the quality of her tomatoes, claiming they lack the acidic taste and thick outer skin sometimes found in store-bought produce.
Mushrooms for the Mind and Body
Mythic Mushrooms has been in business for four years, visiting the Old Town Temecula Farmers Market every Saturday. They are an indoor farm based in Hemet, one that also grows everything they offer. From blue or pink oysters, lion’s mane, chestnut, shiitake, brown beech, and pink trumpets; each of their flavors has great health benefits. In addition, they sell mushroom powders.
The benefits of using mushroom powders have been life-changing for Jackie, one of the creative minds behind Mythic Mushrooms. Having dealt with anxiety and depression for many years, she spoke about her frustrations with the medications she had been on. She confirms the credibility of the mushroom powders, revealing that they aided her in feeling like herself again.
“Some of them, like lion’s mane, are great for ADHD. Mothers will come and get those for their kids. We try to keep everything affordable; that way, people can get the medicine they need because there aren’t a lot of mushroom farmers out there. Watching them grow is amazing,” Jackie said.
The process can be extensive, but once blocks are colonized and cuts are made to bags, fresh mushrooms will be ready to harvest in two weeks. They often double in size after one day. Just a teaspoon is needed per serving, and they offer bags containing between fifty and sixty servings. Adding it to coffee, tea with honey, smoothies, or soup once a day is enough to experience the benefits.
Salsa with Soul
Luis Alberto remembers growing up with fresh salsa every day. After moving out of his parents’ home, he was disappointed by the limited options available in most stores. While he initially began his business by cooking tortillas, he would soon create his own salsas. His flavors are guaranteed to include herbs that many have never tried before. Be it roasted mango, creamy jalapeno or cherry tomato, each one is a delicious treat. Their chips are sprouted corn, stone-ground, and cooked in coconut oil, resulting in a noticeable crispness.
It was during his time in college, working as an orange seller at farmers' markets, that he saw a window of opportunity for his own business endeavors. Today, “Acapico Salsa” can be found at ten locations every week, including the Old Town Temecula Farmers Market. For five years, Alberto has watched the lives of his customers unfold with each visit, going from college graduates to having families of their own. “It’s a community event; that’s what I love the most about it,” Alberto said.
A Market of Heritage
Each of these stories is a reminder that the farmers market is more than a venue for commerce—it is a living reflection of culture, family, and perseverance. For many Hispanic farmers, the soil is a link between past and future, between the places they came from and the communities they now nurture.
As Hispanic Heritage Month reminds us, celebrating heritage means honoring the hands that plant, harvest, and share. It means tasting a tomato that carries a mother’s resilience, admiring a bouquet born from decades of dedication, or savoring salsa rooted in memory and invention. At Old Town Temecula’s farmers market, heritage isn’t just remembered—it’s alive, thriving, and served fresh every Saturday.
Old Town Temecula’s farmers market thrives because heritage and community grow side by side, keeping traditions alive through every flower, fruit, and flavor shared.