About Amy Cross

My Story

I washed, cleaned, and prepped fresh produce that could last for weeks in my refrigerator. This allowed not only myself, but my entire family to be able to enjoy healthy snacks that fueled our bodies. If I wasn’t feeling well, I didn’t have to worry about running to the store for more fruits and vegetables because I knew that we had some that were still fresh and ready to consume.

Most of what I learned about food preservation, I learned from different people in my life as I grew up. I was born and raised on a farm and now I live on what I like to call my suburban homestead. I never realized that so much of the knowledge that I had was unique to myself and my upbringing and that many others struggled with keeping produce fresh in their homes.

When the pandemic hit, as many others, I struggled. I spent my time reading and becoming very introverted. When I realized that I needed something else to turn my attention towards, I started using social media to connect with others. I would go into groups online and answer questions that moms brought up. A common theme and topic that was discussed was food waste. Now that people could not easily go to the grocery store all of the time, they were realizing how much food they were throwing away because they did not know how to store it properly.

I began sharing with them what I knew and that is when I founded The Cross Legacy. One of my very first posts was my strawberries in a jar post which went viral and has been shared over 18 million times. As my audience grew, my goal was always the same, to help people to see that the produce they buy can last and doesn’t need to end up in the garbage.

I go grocery shopping every three weeks and am able to keep a fridge full of produce in between. We have zero waste because since I am able to store the food properly, we are able to consume all of it before it goes bad.