Juniper berries - when, and how much?

[zgoda]

I'd like to make beer flavoured with juniper ("normal" beer, not gruit). Anybody has any clue as to when add berries (mash?, copper?, dry in secondary?) and how much? I want prominent flavour & aroma.

 

[BigYin]

I stand to be corrected, but I imagine adding them to the fermenter would be the way to go :hmm:

How much is even harder, since to a degree that will depend how ripe they are...

Lastly, and especially if they're going into the fermenter, how do you make sure you're not introducing all sorts of nasty bacteria and wild yeasts???