So, apparently Louisa May Alcott was a runner! Yup, long before fitness was a thing, and it was even considered dangerous for women, the writer and author of Little Women would go for a run!
Her forward-thinking parents encouraged physical exercise and It gave Louisa May stamina and de-stressed her.
I bet she would have loved a pair of good leggings as opposed to running in petticoats!
Louisa May Alcott wrote under two pen names before committing to writing and using her own name. Flora Fairfield and A.M. Barnard were her two pen names!
Louisa May Alcott was a remarkable woman and seriously ahead of her time.
She was a brilliant writer and her strength and independence are just a couple of her other qualities that made her legendary.
Did you know that Little Women has never been out of print? Pretty remarkable!
According to the Thriftbooks blog, approximately 1,000 copies are sold every month!
My first adventure with Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was when I opened a beautiful hard-covered edition one Christmas.
I spent the next day in our family's plush rocking chair reading page after page about the March sisters.
I was about 10 years old when I first met Jo, Meg, Amy & Beth. I had brothers, so this book was interesting for a bunch of reasons!
I always wondered what having sisters would be like and Little Women spoke to that part of my curiosity. The day-to-day conversations, happenings, challenges and happiness of the March sisters have appealed to decades of girls and continue to draw in fans!
Years later, it's the history that holds me to the pages of Little Women.
Back when I was a young girl, I think it was the whole sisters thing that kept me turning the pages.
Now, I'll confess that I was not a super fan of Little Women as a kid, and even as an adult it has taken me a bit of time to really come around.
Two things have changed this:
The First was visiting Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts
And the second was watching the Little Women movie that was released in 2019. It is truly a work of art and so, so good!
Years later, our friend and neighbor kindly gifted her copy of Little Women to my daughter. It's from the 1940's and has gorgeous full color illustrations!
Louisa May Alcott wrote many books! Here are just some of the titles that she wrote.
Click slider above to see more books by Louisa May Alcott!
To see a complete list of Louisa May Alcott's other works, click here!
Fun Extras to go Along with Little Women!
See inside Louisa May Alcott's home and learn more about the place and people that inspired Little Women!
Visit the Orchard House!
If you're unable to get to Concord, Massachusetts in person, don't dismay! You can take a virtual tour HERE!
Louisa May Alcott's dad, Bronson Alcott, hung out with the hip thinkers and writers of the day: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were neighbors and friends of the Alcott family.
If you go to visit the Orchard House, you can also check out the other writers' homes, The Old Manse as well as the Old North Bridge while you're there!
It was super interesting to visit Orchard House and the grounds! We had visited in July and it was really hot!
Run in Louisa May Alcott's Footsteps!
Want to run in Louisa May Alcott's footsteps? The Orchard House hosts an annual 5K/10K to benefit Orchard House's public education and historic preservation! Click here to find out more!
Tap Into Your Amy March and Try Your Hand at Creating Some Art!
Whether you love watercolors, sketching or doing embroidery, the March sisters can inspire you to learn some skills!
These embroidery patterns look super cute and have a nice variety of patterns!
Watercolors are an affordable and fun way to try your hand at painting!
Be Like Jo March and Write Something!
Louisa May Alcott created Little Women based on her real life experiences and family.
Make some Recipes that the March sisters would have enjoyed!
The Alcott family embraced a largely vegetarian lifestyle. Bronson Alcott avoided animal foods and as a result, the family's meals were centered around vegetables, fruits, grains and breads.
So, the meals of the time period reflected in this cookbook are what the March family ate in the novel. Louisa May Alcott's family avoided meat, and their meals would have included eggs, but not meat.
Make An Apple Slump!
This is based on Louisa May Alcott's personal recipe with a few adjustments! Enjoy making the same dessert that Louisa would have prepared!
Prep Time: 10 Minutes for apples/5 minutes for topping
Total Time: 55 Minutes
Servings: 4
Equipment Needed:
8 inch round cast iron skillet --or similar size baking dish
Large mixing bowl
Whisk, measuring spoons, wooden spoon, spatula
Ingredients:
4 tart apples
Scant 1/4 cup sugar (if using optional maple syrup, reduce sugar by 50%)
Optional: 2 Tablespoons maple syrup (optional, but wow, it tastes good with it!)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, well-beaten
1/4 cup milk (we used almond milk --any will do)
1/4 cup melted butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Peel, core and slice the apples. (or if you're like me, don't both with the core, just slice around the core!)
Grease your pan or baking dish with butter
In a large mixing bowl, combine apples, sugar, opt. maple syrup, cinnamon & salt.
Pour into skillet
Bake apples until softened - about 20 minutes.
For Topping:
While apples are baking, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
In liquid measuring cup, pour in milk and add egg. Beat together (I do this by hand using a beater or whisk.
Add melted butter and mix well.
Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients in bowl - stir gently, just until blended and then 5 more stirs.
Spread this mixture over the apples and bake until top is golden like a cake or muffin - approximately 25 minutes.
A Couple of Notes...
Original recipe called for brown sugar - I didn't have any, so I did the regular sugar + maple syrup option!
Original recipe used nutmeg--I'm a big fan of cinnamon, so I doubled that and left out the nutmeg.
It's a mildly flavored topping. Some bloggers have included vanilla to zip it up a bit! I really liked the maple syrup flavor and wanted that to shine through, so didn't add vanilla!
Voila! Apple Slump!
Enjoy your slump as is or add some ice cream or whipped cream or other decadent addition!
My husband loved this recipe! He is a big fan of any fruit-related desserts! He asked if I could make a cornbread topping for it. Not a bad idea-if anybody tries it, let us know how it tasted!!
Want to read more? See below!
This gorgeous illustration by Maira Kalman accompanies this article in The New Yorker Magazine about Louisa May Alcott.
Well, I hope you enjoyed our Louisa May Alcott inspired post!
Did you read Little Women? Who was your favorite character? Let us know in the comments below!
Enjoy March with the Marches!
April & Cenzia