Willow is one of the earliest-flowering plants in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, in some areas flowering as early as the end of February. Consequently, weather conditions are usually unfavourable for harvesting a sufficiently large quantity of willow honey. When temperatures are nevertheless high enough for bees to leave the hive during the willow flowering period, beekeepers leave the honey in the hive to help strengthen the colonies after the winter.
This explains why willow honey is one of the rarest types of honey in the temperate regions of Europe, despite the high nectar-producing potential of most willow species: Salix alba, Salix cinerea, Salix purpurea, Salix caprea. In addition to these European species, Salix acmophylla is also found in Azerbaijan, where it is adapted to arid and semi-arid conditions.
In its liquid state, willow honey is orange in colour. It crystallises slowly, becoming paler as crystallisation progresses. It has a very faint scent and a floral flavour, characteristic of honeys from continental Europe, with a slightly pronounced aftertaste.
