When cookbook author Adeena Sussman hosted a camera crew from Food & Wine in August, she searched in vain for a single blood orange in Tel Aviv.

It wasn’t that blood oranges were sold out. They were simply out of season.

“Unlike in the United States, where the entire manuscript for a cookbook is written and photographed in one 10-day photoshoot, in Israel, you can’t do that because things are so seasonal,” says Sussman.

“For my upcoming book on the foods of Shabbat, we’re doing a series of two-day shoots each season of the year because we can’t miss mangos, avocados, limes, pomegranates, or any other fruit that you can’t get when they’re not in season,” she says.

Folks like Sussman, raised in the United States or other countries where any fruit or vegetable is available year-round, must adjust their menu planning and their expectations when living in Israel.

In Israel, most produce is locally grown. And although you can get staples like root veggies and basic salad fixings any time, other items appear only at specific times of the year.

“I try to be inspired by the seasons and use my weekly CSA [community supported agriculture] farm box and the shuk [open-air market] as my guide for what I’m making,” says Sussman.