Meet the crew · The miller · muskrat
Mo’s story
Mo grinds the flour at the Old Mill and keeps half the knives on the river sharp. He has seen everything. He sighs accordingly.
- Can tell how dull a knife is by the sound it makes.
- Weighs flour on a scale. Always. “A cup is a guess.”
- Has never once been in a hurry.
Mo has run the Old Mill for longer than anyone on the river can remember, including Mo.
Every Monday the supply boat from the Riverbank Inn stops at his dock for flour. Most Mondays, somebody also hands him a dull knife and looks embarrassed.
He never says much. He just takes the knife, listens to it on his white ceramic rod, and hands it back sharper than it has ever been.
When Gerzsi arrived and announced that beaver teeth sharpen themselves, Mo let out the longest sigh on the river. Then he taught him to hone: five light strokes a side. “You’re not felling a tree.”
Mo keeps a tin of flour biscuits by the millstone. Pippa knows exactly where it is.
🛍️ Mo’s pocket picks
- AccuSharp Gourmet 15° sharpener: ATK’s Best Buy: a quick edge in seconds. Mo approves, with a sigh. (about $15) · Check on Amazon
- Idahone 12″ fine ceramic rod: ATK’s Best Buy honing rod. The white rod from the story. (about $38) · Check on Amazon
- Ozeri Pronto kitchen scale: ATK’s Best Buy scale. Because a cup is a guess. (about $27) · Check on Amazon
Test results from America’s Test Kitchen, explained in the full guide: How to keep a kitchen knife sharp. Prices checked October 2026; they change often. Affiliate links: how we make money.
Read Mo in the adventures: Stop 4: The Old Mill
Mo is made up, like everyone on the river except Chef Tamás. The gear is real.
