Spring honey

Spring honey is a polyfloral honey from the first nectar flow of the year. Bees gather it from whatever blooms earliest: fruit trees, willow, dandelion, rapeseed and hawthorn, and in the south citrus and maquis shrubs. The name points to a season, not to one plant.

What goes into it depends on the region. In Wallonia the spring nectar plants are willow, pear, plum, cherry, apple, raspberry, rapeseed, dandelion and hawthorn, and the sugar balance of their nectar shapes how fast and how creamy the honey sets. In Corsica spring honey comes from clementine trees, fruit trees and kiwi together with maquis plants.

Protected-name specifications describe it in similar terms. Corsican spring honey is very light to light golden, fruity, floral and fresh, of medium sweetness and without marked acidity. In spring, polyfloral honey from the Cévennes shows caramel, stewed fruit or floral notes with little or no bitterness, and springtime honeys of the Landes are sweet, smooth, floral and fruity. On Ibiza the season "spring" (March to May) may be stated on the label.

Why this matters to you: spring honey is the mildest of the season, but its taste follows what flowers nearby. The region and any plants named on the label tell you most about the jar.