You are so right on so many things. I remember as a kid, produce was seasonal. Things were more locally sourced unlike now where it is internationally sourced. During the colder months you just could not get certain produce. When the chickens were not laying, the availability of eggs was reduced. The milk tasted different when the herds seasonally changed from winter feed to spring grazing. The farming was focused more locally like you stated and the quality of the food was far better than what is usually available today that is shipped long distances. This shift to focus on exports was part of the reason commercial farming moved towards large scale single crop farming that is extremely destructive to the land and ultimately us. Modern farming treats the land as a resource to be exploited for profit instead of a partner in survival.