The big green pods - they are full of seeds, but when should I open them? I popped one open and the seeds are white, the next day they were dried and brown. Or - do I leave them in the pod until next spring?

These are suppose to be annuals right? My Mom has them on one side of her house and they come up every year, she pops her pods open and just sprinkles them around every fall.

My neighbor says you are supposed to wait until the "pod" opens....then they are ready to dry out and use.