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I have a broccoli plant that was excellent at producing a long supply of broccoli so decided to save some seed.  However it look a long time to deign to produce some, and it has still not dried.  The pods are turning brown and I am worried that they are simply going to rot.  Can I dry them off on a window sill or is it better to leave them on the plant.

 I think I'd pull the plant up, shove it in a sack (get them on eBay; it's got to be something that breathes), and put it somewhere to dry out. The seeds should be fine.

I have some bags I bought bulbs in and they are proving very useful for hanging up drying beans, so might try with the broccoli.

If the seeds germinated it will be fine, but very aware that all the seedlings will be sisters, so suppose that the following year the yield will be poor.  Hopefully if it works out well I will have enough for several years.

They won't necessarily be poor. Some plants (sweetcorn) are obligate outbreeders which soon deteriorate if you don't maintain a large number of plants. Others (peas and French beans) are self-pollinators, and don't cross at all without our help. Others are in the middle. Carry on as you are and see how it goes. I'd be more worried about whether the seed will come true, as brassicas will cross with any other brassica around.

I realise they will not come true becuase all the others in the same packet had paler flowers.  But for me that is the fun of seed saving sometimes you win and sometimes you put a great deal of effort growing something which turns out to be a weed.

Its just that I had broccoli for weeks and weeks off just the one plant.  I thought its genes were worth trying to save.  It turned out to be stubbornly slow at producing seeds not helped by the caterpillars which loved the young seed pods.