Simple Farmhouse Life

287. Save Hundreds on Groceries and Reduce Food Waste: Produce Storage Tips | Amy of The Cross Legacy

Apr 29, 2025

Join Amy Cross, Founder of The Cross Legacy and author of The Zero Waste Produce Guide, as she shares her expert tips on saving money and reducing food waste. Learn how to store berries and herbs to extend freshness for weeks. Discover the best practices for organizing your fridge and the surprising ways some produce can spoil each other. Amy reveals her grocery budget secrets while emphasizing versatile ingredients and creative meal prep ideas that make feeding your family budget-friendly and waste-free!

01:03:48

Episode guests

Amy Cross

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Properly washing and storing produce, like berries, with vinegar solutions can extend freshness significantly, reducing both waste and grocery costs.

Maintaining a strict grocery budget is feasible by purchasing versatile ingredients, meal planning, and implementing batch cooking strategies for busy weeks.

Transforming leftovers into new meals fosters creativity in the kitchen while helping families utilize all available ingredients and minimize food waste.

Deep dives

Upgrading Your Wardrobe Affordably

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Intro

2min

Smart Grocery Strategies: Freshness and Savings

8min

Maximizing Fridge Space: Smart Produce Storage Strategies

2min

Smart Food Storage and Budgeting Strategies

22min

Maximizing Meals: Strategies for Food Resourcefulness

16min

Balancing Budget Grocery Shopping and Maximizing Fresh Produce

3min

Waste Not, Want Not: Smart Grocery Management

6min

Transformative Pantry Essentials and Practical Grocery Tips

2min

In today’s episode, I’m welcoming back Amy Cross from The Cross Legacy to dive into a topic that’s more important than ever: saving money on groceries and keeping produce fresh for longer. Amy shares her tried-and-true methods for making fresh food last weeks (even months!), simple strategies for reducing food waste, and how she’s kept her grocery budget the same despite rising prices. We’re talking practical tips you can apply whether you’re feeding a large family, preparing for garden harvests, or just trying to make your grocery trips stretch a little farther. I learned so much in this conversation — I know you will too!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

How to wash and store berries, grapes, and fresh herbs to make them last for weeks
The right way (and wrong way) to use vinegar, glass jars, and paper towels to extend produce life
Which foods need metal lids versus plastic lids for best storage
Tips for organizing your fridge to save space and prevent food waste
How to pair "produce buddies" like lemons and avocados for longer freshness
Why some fruits and veggies spoil each other (and how to store them separately)
How Amy keeps her grocery budget at $135 per person per month
Smart grocery shopping habits: focusing on versatile, multi-use ingredientsHow batch cooking and strategic freezer storage simplify busy weeks
Creative ideas for using up leftovers and cutting down on food waste
How Amy is preparing for a move while keeping her food systems running smoothly
Why food security and long-term storage matter — and how to build it gradually

View full show notes on the blog + watch on YouTube.

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ABOUT AMY

Amy is an urban homesteader who teaches her audiences how to care for their produce and reduce food waste. As the Founder and CEO of The Cross Legacy, she has made it her mission to share her food hacks through social media. Her content has been featured in publications around the world and her viral Strawberries in a Jar hack has been shared over 18 million times.

Amy helps families and communities save money on groceries - most notably by eating what they buy. The average American household throws away 30 to 40% of the food they purchase. To help combat this issue, she wrote a bestselling book, The Zero Waste Produce Guide which outlines her directions for how to wash and store produce items so that they will last for weeks. At a time when our food costs are the highest, it is so imperative that food waste statistics trend downward. This starts in the family home. An accomplished speaker, author, and influencer, the information Amy shares helps families save money, reduce food waste, and be able to afford fresh produce.

RESOURCES

Buy Amy’s new book Zero Waste Produce Guide (Code: FARMHOUSE15 for 15% off)

Listen to Amy’s Tedx Talk

Amy’s first appearance on my podcast

Join my FREE masterclass to learn my 4-step framework for making money on YouTube

Master the rhythm of sourdough with confidence in my Simple Sourdough course

Gain the sewing knowledge and skills every homemaker needs in my Simple Sewing series

Turn your content creation dreams into a profitable business with my YouTube Success Academy

Keep all my favorite sourdough recipes at your fingertips in my Daily Sourdough cookbook

CONNECT

Do you have a question you’d like me to answer on the podcast? A guest you’d like me to interview? Submit your questions and ideas here: bit.ly/SFLquestions.