Once upon a time, before the fruit and veg industry went global, shopping in season was a must. That was perhaps a simpler time. Kitchen recipes would be planned around the ingredients that could be sourced at that time of the year and this meant that fruit and vegetables became more elusive and perhaps better appreciated as a result.
Nowadays, with supermarkets that stock fruit and vegetable products the year-round — obtained from exotic countries across the world — the need to eat seasonal, local produce has largely disappeared.