Honey in the air

Golden fields of oil seed rape are right at their best now. The English countryside is chequered with them, and they make an amazing sight from a plane when you fly anywhere at this time of year. I love the scent of honey in the air that lingers around them at ground level. Soon the beautiful yellow glow will start to fade as the oil seeds swell ahead of harvest.

It seems to be a relatively modern crop. I don't remember seeing fields like this when I was a child, or is memory playing tricks?