Edamame is what we grow them for. Pick them fresh off the plant, then cook in salted water for about 8 min, drain and pop beans out of the pod to eat. My kids have always like edamame.
many years ago I grew a type that produced a few rip pods at a time, but kept producing throughout the season, so a few plants would give us enough for a meal every now and again. The type I grew last year produced all at once, so I just cut the plant at the bottom and took them to a shady chair to pick the pods off the plants. Froze most of them in meal sized packs. This year, I’m not sure if this years kind will produce one way or the other!
the plants are pretty small and compact.