One Soil Farm: Community and Sustainably Grown Veggies

If you made a visit to One Soil Farm’s tree-hugged fields in Cedar Grove, you’d behold an inspiring sight.

Among furling leafy greens, fragrant herbs, and rainbows of root veggies and nightshades, you’d see collaborative activity and smiling faces. Straw hat-donning people prepping beds. Kids playing in the dirt. Friends tag-teaming greenhouse assemblage. At One Soil, it’s not just sustainably grown produce that’s tended carefully from seed to harvest, but relationships that are brought to fruition, a community of folks connecting with one another, the land, and the food we receive from it.  

The small farm is owned and operated by Meredith and Molly, two friends who met in 2013 at the Adamah Farm Fellowship in Connecticut. The name “One Soil” hearkens back their shared farming seasons where they both found meaning in organic agriculture, Jewish community, and intentional living. “One soil,” the assertion that we – plant, earth, human – are all interconnected, is the bedrock of Meredith and Molly’s own Jewish, community-based farming operation which broke Piedmont ground in 2018.  

The vegetables bear proof of the duo’s mindful practices. “[Their] product is just spectacular every time,” shared our Senior Food Hub Director, David. One Soil joined our farm network in 2023 when Meredith reached out looking to allocate some excess produce. Having seen our fair share of wilted surplus veggies, when the beautiful leftover harvest arrived at our warehouse, we were interested in more product. We’ve received orders for 200 bunches of Rainbow Chard, each one perfect. “It’s easy to say yes when a farmer is that conscientious,” David continued. Our happenstance connection has turned into a fruitful partnership. Now, Farmer Foodshare acquires all kinds of produce from One Soil for our food box donations and wholesale partners, ordering whatever is seasonally available. 

On these early spring days, Meredith and Molly are hard at work building walls and organizing their new pole shed, which they are proud to have built themselves with the help of their whole community. They are also preparing to harvest kale, lettuce, and radishes soon.

Images courtesy of One Soil Farm