I’VE GOTTEN ONLY one recipe for favorite summertime vegetables. Sallie Beckes sent in a great one for zucchini chips that will be featured in an upcoming story. Please send yours in now to abraly@timesfreepress.com. And while you’re selecting recipes to send me, think about Christmas in July. I need you to start providing recipes for the Times Free Press annual Christmas recipe contest. It may seem early, but sorting through so may recipes and getting them into the computer takes quite a bit of time. So, the earlier, the better. I’d prefer you to e-mail them, but if you need to, send them by snail mail at Anne Braly, Chattanooga Times Free Press, 400 E. 11th St., Chattanooga, TN 37403). There will be prizes ($100 grocery gift certificates) in four categories: appetizers/breads, entrees, side dishes and desserts. So send in your favorites, keeping fruitcakes to a minimum, please.

SOME THINGS I wonder about, and if you can satisfy my curiousity, I’d love to hear from you:

* Does anyone still make homemade ice cream?

* Are any of you making cutbacks when it comes to your grocery budget? Are Hamburger Helper and tuna fish casserole back on the table?

* How do you keep birds from eating the fruit off cherry trees? My daughter brought home two big containers of freshly picked cherries from a friewnd’s yard on Monteagle Mountain, and I was amazed. They made a delicious addition to chicken salad, as well as a several pies. My father had a cherry tree once. No cherries, just tree., thanks to the birds.

NEW ON THE MARKET: I have basil growing out of the walls. It’s incredible how the herb basil is. So I’ve been adding it to many dishes, plus chopping it up and making pesto to freeze. So here’s the rub: Chopping herbs is a pain in the neck. That’s why my new herb mincer from OXO has come in so handy. OXO makes a lot of really good products, but this one, I believe, is the most useful ever. It’s ergonomically pleasing and fits my hand like a glove. And it does a fine job of mincing my basil, lavender, mint and chives. It gets a thumbs up from me. Check it out at www.kitchenkapers.com. It’s just $13.