Saving Fennel Seeds

Hello,

I have a crop of unripe fennel seeds which is being quickly depleted by neighbourhood birds. In order to prevent the crop from being consumed entirely I may have to harvest it now and attempt to ripen the seeds myself. Does anyone know if this is possible?

The seeds are fat and healthy but green. Also, some on-line literature suggests that green seeds are still quite useful for cooking and flavouring foods. Can anyone confirm this from personal experience?

All advice greatly appreciated.

Jack

As a footnote to my above inquiry I can report that the seeds I removed from my fennel plants and placed in a paper bag in my basement show signs of ripening and now look much like the fennel seed you can buy in the herb and spice section of the supermarket.

It appears fennel seed is like sunflower seed; once it is fully developedit it can be harvested green and ripened indoors.

can you cover the crop?