Summer is officially here, and that means it’s mango season! The season varies each year, depending on climatic conditions, but these luscious fruit generally begin ripening in April and are available until September or October.

It looks like it will be a bumper crop, so here are a few old-time favorite recipes.

If you still have an overabundance, freeze mangoes for future use by paring and slicing, then pack with sugar using 1 tablespoon for each cup of fruit. Sprinkle, mix gently and store in plastic freezer bags. For convenience, freeze in 2- or 4-cup portions, as most recipes call for those amounts. Mangoes keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Mango Bread

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 cups chopped mangoes
3/4 cup salad oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

Sift flour with baking soda and cinnamon into mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, coconut and nuts. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done. Makes 1 loaf.

Pickled Mango

8 cups green mango slices
2 cups sugar
1 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup Hawaiian salt
10 li hing mui

Put mango slices into jar. Combine remaining ingredients in saucepan. Bring to boil; cool to lukewarm. Pour over mangoes. Let stand 24 hours, then store in refrigerator. Makes 4 quarts.

Mango Jam

3 cups mango pulp
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine ingredients in saucepan. Bring to boil, lower heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches jam consistency, about 20 minutes.

Sterilize jars. Pour jam into prepared jars; seal*. Makes 3-1/2 8-ounce jars. Yields 28 servings.

*Note: Because of possible mold contamination, paraffin or wax seals are no longer recommended for sweet spreads. To prevent growth of molds and loss of good flavor or color, fill products hot into sterile Mason jars, filling 1/4 inch to the top, seal with self-sealing lids and process 5 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

For more recipes from Hawaiian Electric Co., visit www.heco.com.