Grow, Eat, Heal: 100 illustrated Herbs and Spices
Last year I decided to participate in every monthly #SWDchallenge. Which is a data visualization challenge run by Storytelling with Data. Through that process I learned what I really enjoyed doing, combining hand-drawn illustration with information design. This year I decided to complete a #100dayproject- an annual Instagram art challenge. For this challenge I decide to digitally illustrate 100 herbs and spices and provide background on how to grow the plant, eat it and use it medicinally. This project was brought on by my own curiosity in gardening, cooking and herbal remedies but also my firm belief that we should be more cognizant and aware of what we eat on how it influences our physical and mental health. Let’s dive into the project’s process and lessons learned.
The project
Researching the plants.
I already had a few herbalist books on my bookshelf, but I wanted more comprehensive information. So, I bulked up my herb/spice book collection and started read and browsing. I knew in my mind that I want to identify herbs and spices that had known medicinal AND culinary uses. At first this was easy, there were about 50 or so go to herbs and spices like parsley, thyme, cinnamon, pepper, but then it got harder to try and find the last few dozen or so. Through this process I realized my herb and spice vocabulary was quite limited, but I also tried to stay “close to home” and tried to highlight as many herbs and spices that would be found here in a typical United States grocery store, but you’ll see a few exotic ones as well. I made a list herbs and spices that ended up being around 150 herbs and spices that might fit the bill. I then brainstormed what information I would like to collect. I decided I wanted to collect 3 “facts” for 3 discrete categories that I would make icons to visually represent. I choose:
GROW
Lifecycle (annual, Biannual, Perennial)
Sun Exposure (Full Sun, Part Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade)
Soil & Water Needs (Dry Soil, Well-drained Soil, Moist Soil)
EAT
Smell (Fragrant, Pungent, Earthy, Fruity)
Taste (Sweet, Bitter, Salty)
Food Pairing (Drinks, Salad, Soup, Grains, fish, Red meat, Poultry, Dairy)
HEAL
Parts Used (a listing of all parts used )
Energetics or effect on the body (Warming, Drying, Moisting, Cooling)
Systems of the body it’s been used to heal: (Circulatory, Nervous, Muscular, Integumentary (skin), Respiratory, Reproductive, Renal, Immune)
I also wrote down any diseases or ailments the plant was used for, any interesting historical facts, and the origin story or common dishes cooked with it. I also made a note of where the plant came from. (see my list of resources used at the end of this article).
I created a spreadsheet using google sheets and slowly went to work. A day or two before the challenge began, I had the first 25 herbs/spices down. This was a great quick start to the project but If I were to do this again, I think I would have completed this research part first. This really slowed the project down at times. While I might have had the time to draw a plant after a long day at work, sometimes I moved faster than my research, meaning I couldn’t complete the infographic until I was able to fill the above categories.
Developing an infographic template.
After beginning my research, I decided I would make a “template” in Adobe InDesign that I would fill in as I went. At first, I thought about using InDesign’s “Data merge” feature which acts a lot like mail merge in Microsoft word, but I intentionally decided to leave out some of those automated processes so that I could spend more time with each plant’s facts. Choosing the right typography took the longest. Having an Adobe TypeKit really gives you a lot of options. I was going for something quaint, mid-century or vintage-like in feel as a nod to our long connection with using plants for food and healing.
Creating an original icon set.
After determining my data categories I decided I wanted to visually represent each one with consistently used icons. I decided to take this opportunity to sharpen my pen tool skills in illustrator and consistently use a pattern and stroke thickness to tie them together. While they are vector icons, I liked keeping them a bit “less than perfect” so that they had a somewhat hand-drawn feel to them. I used reference images from google. Here’s my first vector icon set:
my first vector icon set using the pen tool in Illustrator
Hand illustrating each plant.
For every plant I would find a few reference photos but also look to see how it was illustrated by searching for vintage botanical illustrations. I found these illustrations to be a good reference since they were made with clarity in mind. Sometimes it was hard to determine the shape and pattern of the leaves or find a good reference photo that displayed the fruit and flower of the plant. While I didn’t aspire to re-create this botanical style, I used a bit of shaping and hatching to give a vintage quality to the illustrations. I used Adobe Fresco’s vector brushes to do the outline work and then brought it over to Procreate and used Bardot Wet brushes for the color work.
Posting each infographic.
After completing the plant profile in InDesign, I used the Instagram post as an opportunity to provide more facts about the plant or share a personal memory or use for the plant. I used several hashtags but most consistently used my hashtag #100daysofGrowEatHeal and the #100dayproject. It took me 210 days to complete this 100-day project. Within the first week I quickly learned that my project might have been too “ambitious” for an everyday venture. I decided to put my ego aside and go at a pace that wouldn’t stress me out but was consistent enough to keep the project going. I averaged posting about 4 plant profiles a week.
What I learned
I found comfort in routine.
At first drawing the plant and preparing the infographic template took several hours which I didn’t always have. Around plant 30 I began to hit a groove where the process started to take less time. I became more confident in my chosen illustration style and techniques and the whole process became more exacting and deliberate. I noticed small differences in the way I drew the plants at the beginning to the ones I created towards the end. It was really satisfying to see that refinement. I also really did enjoy the process of making. It was relaxing to work on a long-term project and goal every day. The process became comforting and relaxing, and something I looked forward to. I found the days I was able to complete an infographic were satisfying. It also gave me an opportunity to switch gears from newly working from home to working on something personal in the same space.
I learned about each plant’s patterns and intricacies.
I had never paid attention to how some plant’s leaves and branches alternated while other grew out together on the sides, perpendicular with the stem. I didn’t know a lot of my favorite and familiar spices like oregano, parsley, cilantro flowered in their later stages nor had I paid attention to leaf shape and structure. Because I hand illustrated each of these plants I now feel as if I can picture them all in my mind’s eye and quite possibly even identify them in the wild. I really cherish these plants and how I was able to learn a little bit about each of them.
I learned about gardening, medicinal and culinary patterns.
While I had some sense of the medicinal properties of some of these herbs and spices from prior reading and experimenting, I now feel I have more of an understanding about the duality of some these plant’s properties. As I looked each plant up, I often found contradictory information about each plant. Some plants would be considered “drying” for one system for the body but might be “moisting” to another. It could also depend on the amount and circumstance of each dose. I also began to notice how herbs and spices were often used to “round” out the flavor of a dish, lending its aromatics or texture to a dish by providing a needed acid or lightness to cut through the fat or protein of a dish or bringing complexity with a saltiness or sweetness to the palette. In a lot of ways, my 3 discrete categories with their 3 factoids really doesn’t do the subject justice. Using plants for cooking and healing can be a very complex endeveour that should be approached with thoughtfulness. I hope my project can spark curiosity in the subject and help others learn how these plants have and can be used to support our health.
Future Plans
I really enjoyed this project, and I am very proud of the final product. I’ve decided I like to take my InDesign template and expand it to create a book. I hope to provide introductory chapters on growing, cooking and healing with these plants. Providing visualizations that place all 100 plants into context with certain contexts. I would also like to expand the factoid section of the infographics and provide easy to use appendix where people could easily look up plants by category.
Project References
List of culinary herbs and spices. (2020, March 18). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_culinary_herbs_and_spices
Belsinger S., Tucker, A. (2016) The culinary herbal: Growing & perserving 97 flavorable herbs, Timber Press Inc.
Chevallier, A. (2016) Encyclopedia of herbal medicine. DK Penguin Random House
Cox J., Moine, M. (2010) The cook's herb Garden: Grow, Harvest, Cook. DK Penguin Random House
De La Foret, R. (2017) Alchemy of Herbs: Transform everyday ingredients into foods and remedies that heal. Hay House Inc.
Noel Groves, M. (2016) Body into Balance: An herbal guide to holistic self-care. Storey Publishing.
