I never considered trying to pick the pollen sacks.. It will be a bitch since the plants are so big, but I'll give it a go.

What would think about turning my fan off that I had stirring the air in the room to help make hardy stems? Since I don't think I need that any more and was leaving it one pretty much to discourage any kind of pests and keep my leaves free of dust. This way even if some pollen slips past me it might not get circulated as much.