Family taps into sweet surprise with backyard sugar bush

When the Sultan family decided to trade their suburban lifestyle for country living last year, they weren't expecting such a sweet surprise namely, an untapped sugar bush, and more delicious maple syrup than they can handle.

Sultan family has already filled 6 large containers with sap from trees on their sprawling property

CBC News Posted: Mar 07, 2018 3:17 PM EST | Last Updated: March 8, 2018

Omar Sultan and his kids have been making their own maple syrup since discovering sap-producing maple trees on their property. (Hallie Cotnam/CBC)

Last yearthe Sultan family traded in their suburban lifestylefor a new life in the countryside, and so far it's been the sweetest decision they've ever made.

Soon after moving into their home near Ashton, Ont., Jessica and Omar Sultan discovered a treasure trove of old maple trees scattered around their property. Nowthe family of seven is tapping the trees and collecting the sap by the bucketload to make delicious maple syrup.

"We've been blown away by the amount of sap. It's an unimaginable amount for us, really," Jessica told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning.

Ella Sultan, 11, holds a jar of fresh maple syrup her family produced from their very own sugar bush on their property near Ashton, Ont. (Hallie Cotnam/CBC)

Their kidsKatherine,4, Daniel,6, Thomas, 8,Ben, 10, andElla, 11 couldn't be happier to pitchin by helping mom and dad tap the trees. They're always around for the taste testing, too.

The kids gave Ottawa Morning a tour of their backyard enterprise, and shared the fruits of their labour.

"It takes 30 litres of sap to make one litre of maple syrup," said the eldest, Ella.

"It's sugary and has the nice, sweet taste in it that makes it taste really yummy," said Thomas.

Omar Sultan prefers to boil the sap in a largeblack pot over aroaring outdoor fire instead of in thekitchen. "This is from the heart. This is a labour of love so everything tastes better when you work hard for it," he saidas the sap heated.

Time outdoors

The couple found their kids weren't spending much time outdoors when they lived in the suburbs, so now they're using their new home and large property as an excuse to cut down on screen time.

"It matters to me that my kids understand the importance that they can do things with their own hands and they know where things come from, and come outside and build things and grow things and appreciate nature," Jessica said.

"I spent a ton of time outside growing up, and I still do. It's where I'm happiest and I want to pass that on to my kids."

The Sultan family pose in front of their home near Ashton, Ont. (Hallie Cotnam/CBC)

For now, the Sultan family plans to keep their sweet, sticky fortune in the family. That means they have six large containers filled with fresh sap waiting to be made into syrup to be drizzled over too many breakfasts to count.

Click here to listen to the full interview with CBC Radio

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