I have worked it "green"; some like to ret (rot) it a bit by laying it in the grass for a few days- the dew/damp at night and drying during the day will help the non-fibrous parts decay a little.
In working it green I use gloves and long sleeves and rip off all leaves and the top, cut stems at the ground, then crush the stalks with a roller (kitchen roller for rolling out dough) on a cutting board. I roll a half dozen stalks with great downward pressure, turn them, do it again. Then I strip out the fibers by snapping the stalks and pulling them apart, one side, then the other, and the fibers should separate from the "flesh". They won't be clean; they will have bits of flesh stuck to them. I gather up all the fibers.
Then I either strip off the gunk from the fibers with my thumbnail (it will become permanently green under the nail) or with a dull knife like a eating knife, butterknife, or a wooden fake, play knife. Take a piece of lath and shape it like a knife and draw the fibers under it. Now you will be amazed how little you have. Go process a lot more.
Now lay the strands of fibers out to dry in the sun. I have made cord green but it does not remain as densely packed as if it is made from well dried fibers.
That's the processing. Explaining how to make cord is not so easy and it is better demonstrated. Some of the primitive skills books show how to do it either in the hand of by the "thigh rolling" technique. The trick is to be able to splice in new strands of fibers as you go along and not end up with lumps or thin, weak spots. this takes practice. The better you prepare your raw material, the better the end product. I expect any 4 year old pre-Columbian Native American could make better cord or baskets than I can, but practice is all that is needed.
You can make strong cord, thick cord, quick cord or thin cord. Making strong thin cord is not quick.
