Sometimes the benefits of growing your own organic garden reach well beyond that of nutrition and a healthy diet. For one Marilla couple, gardening-being outside and working with the earth--has become a passion that brings them closer together.

Joe and Mary Ann Ciarlo have been enjoying their garden for many years, ever since they moved into their Marilla home in 1991. They settled in with their two young daughters, Laura and Ana, from the Mendocino Coast of California. What was an empty yard when they first arrived quickly became their new garden. They implemented the techniques of organic gardening that they learned in California. Over time, the garden expanded to what is now a substantial 40-by-40-foot plot, full of herbs, spices, and a variety of vegetables.

Mary Ann Ciarlo works down the road at the Marilla Country Store. Joe Ciarlo does inside sales at Ryerson Steel. They both spend the majority of their free time working in the garden.

"It is a canvas that we put our mark on," explained Joe Ciarlo. "I work out here on nights and weekends. It's the hum of life."

Having a backyard garden can save money, offsetting the cost of expensive fruits and vegetables at the grocery store. But saving money was never their intention.

"Getting it all ready is not cost saving," said Joe, "for what I put into the garden, with straw, manure and time. But it is still worth it. Being in touch with a basic process. It's a lot of fun. We relax; it's quiet. The birds come out and it's all alive."

The couple described it as a "bonding endeavor." They say that they can come out to the garden for hours, not having to talk. Afterward they sit down and reflect over a beer or glass of homemade dandelion wine.

The Ciarlos, who once co-owned and operated a health food restaurant on the West Coast, do talk about the nutritious aspects of organic food and explain how organic cultivation is much more environmentally friendly. "You are not putting pesticides or chemicals into the land," said Mary Ann Ciarlo, describing one of the benefits of organic gardening. "You are also not killing off any natural organisms or worms in the soil. The chemicals do not leach into the drainage system and it won't leach into the wells."

Mary Ann Ciarlo supplements family meals with a variety of vegetables. They grow beets, carrots, beans, tomatoes, garlic, onions, and about a dozen other edibles. They also have innumerable recipes per food item. She considers zucchini to be the most useful.

"Zucchini is so versatile," she said. "You can grill it; you can bake it. We make zucchini lasagna where we replace the noodles with zucchini."

They also make a fantastic zucchini bread. It grows faster than they can consume it, so the couple has to get creative with the dishes. The Ciarlos like to share their creations and often bring baskets of vegetables to their friends. It is just something they like doing.

"It takes a lot of work, but it doesn't feel like work," added Joe Ciarlo. "It is a healing thing. The process is the healing and how it makes you feel. Like the 'joy is in the journey'."