Dandelions

I first came across the association between St George's Day and the picking of dandelions for wine making in the First steps in Winemaking by C J J Berry, probably in the early 1980's.  Dandelion flowers are usually at their peak around this date, their date of appearance showing the earliness or lateness of the spring.  This year is fairly normal as many of the local fields are very yellow, soon to be white as the seed heads form.